Conference (the form of the round table)
„Inter-religious Understanding“

December 8 - 9, 2006.
Trebinje (Bosnia&Herzegovina)

Introduction
The basic motive behind the idea of holding of the conference in Trebinje is the term very well known in West, but, unfortunately, insufficiently known and used in Bosnia and Herzegovina – 'inter-religious understanding'. As one of the significant participants (fra Ivo Markovic) of the event had said '...we in BiH, in ecumenism, have learned and got used to the word dialogue, and the term of inter-religious understanding is the next step in the dialogue directed toward coexistence'.
That kind of inter-religious understanding was the topic of two-day dialogue among the members of several religions who have responded to the invitation and participated in very constructive conversation.

Around 40 participants responded the invitation to this event. The host and the co-organiser (support to IKV and FTC at the local level) was non-governmental organisation 'League for Protection of Private Property and Human Rights' from Trebinje, although the informal host of the event was the Bishop of Zahumsko-Hercegovacka and Primorska Bishopric, who in a certain way gave very significant impression and contribution to the conference. The participants of the event were member of four confessions in BiH and neighbouring countries, even from The Netherlands and due to that the event had religious dimension; representatives of the local authorities, so we would like to point out welcome note and the message of the Mayor of Trebinje; professors of sociology, philosophy and political sciences, as well theologians from different theological institutions from BiH, Serbia and Croatia; representatives of non-governmental organisations and many media representatives for whom this event was especially interesting.

The conference was mostly led by Vehid Sehic, the president of the Forum of Tuzla Citizens, who also gave introduction speech: 'We are the witnesses of transforming of the complete culture into ideology, both on individual and international level, into the mean that is not used for earthly interests, which means into the mean for creation of conflicts among the people and nations. Someone wishes to abuses the religion and create an artificial conflict, as they say, the civilisation conflict. Religion was part of the culture from the very beginning, i.e. the centre of culture, which means that it was (ab)used – and it is still, as a mean for production of fear from others, for production of hate toward others, which led to the conflict with others. That is why the assignment of the religion is to resist to the international and national power-holders who want to transform it into ideology, i.e. into the instrument of their power, who want to pervert it, to transform it into contradiction to itself, its own being.'
Mr Mathew Hermanns from IKV also gave very good explanation of the reason of holding of this event saying that ‘today, we're here to reclaim our territory, to put an end hijacking and the abuse. Today, we're here around this table, people of various faiths and convictions, united in our desire to reach out to each other, to listen and understand each other, to celebrate our diversity, to build bridges and to strengthen the forces of tolerance, forgiveness, compassion and peace'.

To give forgiveness and to receive forgiveness
Speaking about forgiveness, the words to forgive and to give forgiveness are mentioned many times during the conference and they proved to be one of the key words of the conference. Especially when they come from one of the most important persons of the event – Bishop Grigorije, the Bishop of Zahumsko-Hercegovacka and Primorska Bishopric. BiH public is very well aware of the dishonourable role of some people from Trebinje, where during the war in BiH were placed military forces of former Yugoslavia, which attacked and shelled nearby Dubrovnik, the city that had very close relations with Trebinje before the war. Because of that, the word of the Bishop are very important when he said: ‘We as people who believe in God and people who should primarily love people, have to be ready that we always and again utter this nice words forgive me, I apologize. As the hosts we tell apologize to everyone, we're sorry because we're aware of how sinful we are and we are also aware of the fact that the one that forgives is magnificent and that to say forgive is great, but it is also magnificent to actually forgive.' Not only the Bishop offered reconciliation, the Mayor of Trebinje, Mr Dobroslav Cuk, did the same saying that the message of peace from Trebinje was sent several times to the neighbours and to the World, and that he is sending it again on this occasion and that he sees the conference as some kind of positive respond to that message.

The God is one
The key words ‘to give forgiveness and to beg for forgiveness' were pointed out also by fra Marko Orsolic from International Inter-religious Multi-cultural Centre (IMIC) when he spoke about establishing of bridges of trust among the religions in BiH. ‘We understood also today that the dialogue is enrichment', said fra Marko, ‘in the history of religions no example of three religions being so close as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There is no parallel between close religions as those are, since Proclamation is overlapping. Jadish-Christian Proclamation is overlapping, and besides that, this many times is said that the God is single, there is only one God. So if you appeal to him, pray to him or post 52 Fridays, 51 actually, or 30 days of Ramadan all modalities. What it is the key is that in Koran, in second chapter is said that the God is yours, i.e. Jewish and Christian, and ours, it is one and the same. It took very long time for Catholic Church, only at the Second Vatican Assembly, to say that the God is one and the same, and the both Muslims and we believe in one and the same God. Since the God is one.
This very important thesis about one God, which is again very well known in the West, and in BiH it is skilfully manipulated, is confirmed and underlined by most of the speakers. For instance, the Bishop has said ‘Each person is a creature of God, as everything surrounding the man. This is what we believe. Therefore, every person may be and become the son and the friend of God'.
According to fra Marko, the key thesis is that Jews, Christians and Muslims should understand that they do not posses the complete truth, because the God is absolutely beyond and that we should we get closer through dialogue. Through religious dialogue, since in this way we understand better our own position. That's the way to enrich ourselves. The most important thing is that we change the faith of people here.
The wide topic of inter-religious understanding was presented by selected speakers from three different aspects: theological (four confessions, Christianity (both Orthodox and Catholic), Islamism and Judaism), sociological and philosophical aspect.

Theological aspect of the topic
Speaking about the topic from theological perspective, fra Mile Babic, the dean of Franciscan Theology in Sarajevo, pointed out the difference and the need for unity between dialectical and analogical knowledge. So he claims that the dialectical principle is the essence of Christianity, it is manifested in the New Testament, in that that the God, loving his enemies first. In the contrary to that, the analogical principle implies two either assimilation or ghetto, i.e. the sectarianism. That manner of the life within the same and with the same enable off cohabiting with others, led to the war in the Former Yugoslavia. This analogical principle is actually based on the fear from others, on the fear from those who are not the same as we are.
Both principles are important, both analogical and dialectical one. The trust in others and in absolute other, which is the God, love to others and to absolute other, enables dialectical understanding of others and absolute other. The understanding of others, the understanding of one own and the understanding of absolute other goes together. If we, Christians, are not able to understand those who are different from us, those who are different in all respects, especially in a religious respect, then it is a proof that we, Christians, have seized to be Christians, claims fra Mile Babic at the end.
Discussing the similarities between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, deacon Zoran Aleksic, master of theology from Theological Faculty of Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, pointed out that to insist too much on similarities among us may be dangerous, primarily because one could have impression that we profess tolerance and peace only because we're similar to each other, while our relationship to those who are not will remain undefined. On the other hand, if we stick to the fact that in love we respect the freedom of others, since freedom and love are main and basic characteristics of the human being, the understanding and tolerance will commit us further on. This freedom that the God gave to the man, we have to respect in other people as well. This is, what I think, we all should insist on. This freedom has to go together with responsibility, as said once by patriarch Pavle, freedom without responsibility is not for man and the responsibility without freedom is not proper for the God. The differences in the dogma of religion are not the major cause for intolerance and violence, but rather the egotism that each individual is prone to, regardless of people or religion he belongs to.

This and some other similar discussion started the thesis about legitimacy of believing or not believing in the God. The common attitude of all participants is expressed very well through the words of don Ivan Grubisic from the Institute for Applied Sociological Researches in Split, who said ‘all three positions toward the God are legitimate walled. First to believe in God, secondly not to believe in God and thirdly being indifferent not interested in God. All these three position are walled because none of them have been proved in term self scholarship so it is legitimate to believe or not to believe'.

The attitude of Islam in relation to inter-religious understanding was presented by Hadzi Seid effendi Smajkic, the mufti of Mostar. According to his conviction, as he said, it is not different from positions expressed by other religious representatives - Orthodox church and Christianity. The truth is there are huge prejudice among religions, as well ignorance, even within each confession and not to speak about understanding about other religion, other religious community and so on. However, all religious teaching are based on basic principles, and the Islamic position is very well defined of unity of God to all people. That is basic Islamic postulate, said effendi Smajkic. Fundamental Islamic principle is that we believe in all prophets, Abraham, we call him Ibrahim, Masses. Islam does not make a big different among them. The best ones in Gods eye is the one who acts best to what the creatures of god and there is no mention whether someone belongs to Islam or not.
Effendi Smajkic gave special attention to relation of Islam toward other religions and spreading of Islam, especially pointing out non-violent methods. The Islamic attitude is to invite to Islam wisely and with nice advice, but never use the force. At the same time, show respect toward the other and other religion, but also toward agnostics and non-believers, since in Koran, when it addressed the non-believers it says: ‘Say, I do not adore what you adore, and you non believers can have your faith and I should have my'. ‘From these few fragments I mention', said effendi Smajkic at the end, I wanted to joy to this discussion that there is one God, that we are all creatures of one creator, and that no religion inside of people becomes enemy'.

Speaking about inter-religious dialogue, Mr Jakob Finci, the president of Jewish community municipality BiH, pointed out that there is no alternative to the dialogue in any time, or conditions, circumstances. We, who often take the holly scriptures in our hands when we read, for example the prophet of Messiah, can think about the time that will come. When swords will be transformed into ploughs, and when the wolf and the lamb will sleep together, somehow we pessimistically say this would never happen, at least as long as we would live. However, if you start from the beginning of the holly scripture, you will find the witness of Noah that other religions also have, where, at the point of crisis of mankind, when the lodge threatened, there was a wolf, a lamb, a lion, on the arch, and no one at the other, because they were all sharing the same danger. I think that today, at the beginning of the 21st century the humankind is again sharing the same danger and that that is why it is the time, symbolically speaking, for the wolf and lamb taken as some traditional enemies. Or a lion and a kid to burry their swords and start working together, because it seems that all dangers for the mankind, we can resist only by working together for the benefit of each other.

Philosophical aspects of the topic

To discuss about philosophical foundations of understanding, said professor Zivanovic from Philosophical Faculty in Banja Luka, means the whole philosophy almost and the whole of experience of the spiritual horizon of the West. The philosophical aspects of understanding and inter-religious dialogue encompass two big sets of issues. First, there are the contents that are sometimes similar, sometimes identical within the philosophy and within the religion. Therefore, these are the first and last questions of the world, it is about moral values and it is about the totality of the existence of human beings. These contents escape some of the areas that we call philosophy and some of the area that we call religion. Another big set of issues relates to how these contents, these values could be translated into life? How to enrich the life with these values and such values? There are, naturally, a number of different answers to such questions. This first set of eternal contents, belonging to religions and philosophies shows us the following: the Western human beings, those who belong to the Western Horizon, look at the history and it images holding hands of each other. So, we see the pictures categories, substances, images of essence, the image of the essence of life or the meaning of life, the meaning of that and holding each other's hands for several thousand years we have forgotten ourselves to ask ourselves who is the man that I hold his hand, who is the other man? What kind of man is that, can we understand each other? That is why we are the captives, the hostages of metaphysical constructions and we forgot the man that we are holding the hand of and who also holds me. This is the experience that we see from Plato to Hegel, to Haussler, to Derrida and Levine and to all that that we call post-modern opinion.
Naturally, we have to find the way and now I come to my second sets of difficulties' use. How to get out or above metaphysical constructions how to understand the people that hold us for the hands, all of us that are holding each other's hands. What happens when we try to enrich our lives with contents that are offered by the philosophy and by the religion. We often do that in artificial way.
I truly believe, claims professor Zivanovic, that there are ways to make these contents be such that they are true to life as the life should respect these values. In 1966, the stone was found which was built into the wall, which encompassed Plato's academy. On one side of this border stone was knowledge and on the other side there was life, which in miraculous ways moves and simply that image of the wall of Plato's academy showed art of education and the art of transformation of these values in life, so we have to continuously overstep the wall that divides the knowledge from life.

Sociological aspects of the topic
Sociological aspect of the inter-religious dialogue was elaborated by professor of sociology, Dino Abazovic from Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. He gave special attention to the relation of religious communities and politics in BiH, claiming that religion in BiH got political characteristics. However, like in the West, the institutional religion, the revitalization of religion in the public life cannot be understood as the increase of religiousness. Unlike western European countries, where a high degree of religious affiliation is present, but there is a decrease on practice, religious practicing, so we can use the phrase “believing without belonging”, we in Bosnia and Herzegovina could use the reverse process – ‘belonging without believing'. Mr Abazovic asked rhetorical question - is it what it makes us different from the rest of the Europe – adding that the researches showed that there is a lot of truth in it.
The other important thing that professor Abazovic pointed out is behaviour of religious leaders after the fall of what we call Communist regime. From the period when they were marginalized, controlled or even suppressed religious leaders have all of the sudden found themselves in the situation when politicians, the media and even politicians flattered themselves to be honest, they're not used to be in the focus of the attention, so most of them where subject to manipulation, claimed at the end professor Abazovic.

Religion and nation
Speaking about the national identity, professor Abazovic said that there is more and more insecurity in determination of what makes valid basis for national identity, since BiH, as most part of the world, are in the process that the secular state is less successful in responding to the globalization. In France, where some of the researches says that laity loses its importance because it has won there. The French non-professional school is famous.
The conflict and post conflict societies that are multi-confessional, like Bosnia and Herzegovina is, is suitable for processes of increasing of religiousness. The specificity of our social and political situation is reflected in ethnic and confessional structure of the population. A common place in the history of in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the role of religion in the self-definition of its ethnicities. Therefore, not only one nation has been created, but rather national pluralism. In the process of national definition, religions had major role to play. Most citizens have a much expressed self-identification, especially the confessional one, which is reflected in the determination toward others. All people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have expressed confessional affiliation. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasize this identification is not the same as the religious participation. Therefore, it happens rather often in Bosnia and Herzegovina that the degree of confessional self-identification is several times higher than the religious participation degree, four to five times in Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the recent research. Every fifth citizen who has religious identification is practicing their religion. The process of the return to the religions is especially important getting from private to the so-called semi-public or public sphere. Here, there has really been the secularization of public life, the privatization of religion par excellence. It is seen through higher participation in religious activities, emphasized in religious affiliation, the presence of religious communities in political and public life, especially in the media and so on. Here, like in the other countries in the Balkans, there is the symbiotic community between nationality and religion, but people try to forget that the most members of these religions are the members of global religions. At the end, why it is important to make a difference between ethnic and religious identities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In short, religious identity is a matter of common theology of rituals and believing. The ethnical one is the matter of common ancestors, history, language and culture, and religion, but not necessarily. If we cannot make a difference between these two identities, then we cannot hope that it is possible to define the line that divides religious and ethnic conflicts. If in the post conflict society, like BiH one, we have such an intellectual confusion unable to distinguish between religious and ethnic identity, then we undermine the eternal potential of religion to deal with the conflict. Therefore, I am being very selfish, because I wish the affiliation to my ethnic group is the only real reason d'être of mine in order to build my identity in that direction, I have to allow my neighbour to build his in peace in the direction that he wishes. The political irrelevance of the religious or any other collective element, thus relevant and this is where we could talk about the potential of religious.
The contribution in this part of discussion gave fra Ivo Markovic, trying to explain specific relation between nation and religion in BiH. He claims that religions in BiH are slaves to the nationalist areas but the problem here is that the nation do not want to leave their religions who have empted the national ideas from religious walleyes, form God. The nations do not want to renounce from this. Here we had the religious war between Christianity and Islam. Only this religion that let the war was the national religious movement. There was no God in it. Serbian nationalism, Croatian nationalism or Bosniak one are the same as Islamic terrorism. These are all instrumentalisations of the religion where there is no God. The extremists are not believers, nor the Chetniks are nor the nationalists of Croatia are.

Religion and politics
The instrumentalisation of the religion in political purposes was discussed by several speakers, nevertheless the Bishop Grigorije have said that the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the consequence of many factors, especially very complicated historical straight and prejudices that caused that the people should exterminate each other in defence of their religion identity or even of their own identity. Religious communities have to deeply analyse all the causes that brought to such a conflict and prevent further abuse of religion in dealing of problems that exist at other levels. The fact is that those who committed atrocities in all three sides were people who were not the people of proper faith in their respective communities. The other problem and we can often hear this, that some people, religious people in all sides at the key point of polarization, ethnical and religious polarization, did not find enough courage to oppose general hatred and war. In order to prevent this to be repeated in the future, this has to be discussed, all aspects of this problems should be profoundly analyzed rather than avoid such topics, because this would just give the green light to evil people in all sides to further on abuse the religion and the name of God in committing atrocities. The community that shows more sincerity and responsibility will show that is the closest to God, because the God to the God is measured by the love to man.
After the fall of communism, nationalistic parties (SDA, SDS and HDZ) took the power in BiH and they very closely co-operated with the religious communities, especially with religious leaders (Mile Babic). Actually, that was returning to the old paradigm in relations between religion and politics, the paradigm that had led the Western Europe into religious wars between Catholics and Protestants during new century, to the paradigm that prevailed in the Western Europe after the French Revolution. Nationalistic politicians and ideologists in BiH are still stating that their religion is the foundation of their politics and that they have the support from their religious communities and their leaders. In this way, nationalistic politicians are placing religion into the service of the politics, into the service of nation, into the service of nationalism. In this way, religion betrays divine values, i.e. universal values. In this way, it subordinates divine values to the earthly interests. That is why, we, within religion, are the ones to be blamed: we the believers and the hierarchy, but also the ones outside the religion are to be blamed. We are to be blamed because we allow them to instrumentalise us, and them because they instrumentalise us. When it is free, which means when it is separated from the state and politics, religion can serve to its purpose: it can serve to the God and to the human salivation. It is needed to introduce this paradigm and to make it becomes practice, it is needed the leave that paradigm that have led to the ethnic cleansing. . Different religions of the world today do not live as isolated communities. The mixture of world population has brought to the religious differences being abused for the political ends. That is why religious leaders are obliged to prevent the abuse of religion for daily politics. If the religious leaders are not aware of this danger, they may become the weapon of political and military forces leading to war, sufferings and destructions of people and all divine creatures.

Religion and human rights
Speaking about human rights and religion, the most powerful contribution to the work of the conference gave Mr Karel Blei, the president of the Board of the directors of IKV/Pax Christi from the Netherlands.
The starting point of Mr Blei was that in practice, we are very often faced with the contradiction of the human rights and religion, so Mr Blei tried to give the clarification how to overcome the gap between human rights discourse and religious discourse. In one hand, it means that we have to consider the gap, and in the other hand, we have to build the bridge between two sides.
Very often religious conviction, said Mr Blei, does not go together with engagement for human rights. That is easy understandable for those who realize that both religion and the human rights engagement of origin belong to different spiritual worlds. Religion, in its various forms is an ancient phenomenon. Consciousness of human rights, however, is very modern. However, gap between religious discourse and human rights discourse is the gap between tradition and modernity.
It is necessary to establish the bridge between religious engagement and engagement for human rights, simply because religion itself is a basic element of human life, of human culture and society. The idea that the religion could be abolished, eliminated, or put aside in order to make possible the building of just rightful democratic society is nonsense, a chimera. If religion is not involved, any attempt to build up such a just society is for doomed to failure. However, the religion cannot be involved by asking religious people to mix up their religious wine with some water. It is up to people themselves to decide whether and to what extent they want to be religious. Religious people and religious organizations, churches and mosques, should ask themselves whether their religious traditions could and should not be open to modernity, more precisely, whether engagement for human rights is not an essential part of religion itself. Christians, Jews and Muslims, all appeal to the one God, the creator and saviour of the human kind. So, can true belief in God include committing atrocities? It is clear that any interpretation of our holly scriptures that would justify such acts is by definition a false one. And soon as you realize that, it opens us up to communication with others human beings like we are, maybe religious in a different way but likewise, creatures of the God, in whom we believe, it opens us up to recognizing their human rights as well. Then, religion is not a hindrance to being engaged for human rights.

Inter-religious understanding in practice
There were several very good presentations, starting from Grupa Most from The Netherlands, which worked very hard and for a long time in Tuzla, fra Mirko Majdancic from the Franciscan Monastery in Fojnica and Milan Sitarski, who had very interesting video presentation of the work of the Belgrade Open School in relation to inter-religious understanding and dialogue. However, Tuzla and its model of tolerance was unintentionally imposed as the most obvious example. Two great friends, fra Petar Matanovic, former guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Tuzla, and Muhamed effendi Lugavic, the main imam in Tuzla during the war, gave the testimonies on Tuzla's model of tolerance. During the war, both of them, supported by the local authorities in Tuzla, were the inspiring examples of the mutual respect and, above all, philanthropy.
Before 10 or 15 years ago, and this situation that we're in Bosnia and Herzegovina all together, and in territories of Former Yugoslavia, I think that situation was an occasion for some people to show, first of all their humanity and their beliefs, what they believe in and what they do, said fra Petar. I think that this education, person education what we carry in ourselves from our childhood becomes later on very important in many life circumstances. We went through many troubles, me personally too, but what was most important the road that was took around and try to work with people, who give you the opportunity to work with them. We are fortunate that we hade imam Mr. Lugavic. He was the main imam in that area and it seems to me that one of his sins was the openness in such a time, his main sins. But this all meant a lot in public, in our meetings. He was always ready for discussion; for talks and it was visible and in media, on TV, radio that we had in our local context and in cooperation with the representatives of the state and military authorities. We tried, first, to keep the humanity. That was the most important for us.
I think that our future, continued effendi Lugavic, will depend on the degree to which we will be able to bring this down to people, to make them respect each other and try to understand each other. This will be the best possible thing to do. When they see Petar and me, when they see us together, and we are often together we sit down have a coffee together. We did not do that to be seen, but we do devote our time to have coffee together. Then they will say, look at these two, they sit together again. Some people are very glad, others so-so. However, this is very important. I pray to God and hope, we mentioned God today; I hope someone's prayer will be accepted. I hope, God willing, it will be better for us. In addition, I hope it will help the power idlers, so that they should understand to meet and to think not only of their own interest, but of the interest of people as well.

Click here to download brochure/transcript >>