ABOUT THIS SITE
 
 

 
 

 
     
     
 

This website is designed and launched within the project “Network of Inter-religious Dialogue in the Western Balkans” conducted between March and July 2007 by Centre for Religious Studies of the Belgrade Open School (www.bos.org.yu) and supported by Dutch foundation IKV/PaxChristi (http://www.ikvpaxchristi.nl/).  The overall objective of the project is to support the sustainability of multi-religious and multiethnic societies in the Western Balkans.

The Belgrade Open School’s project “Network of Inter-religious Dialogue in the Western Balkans” focuses project activities on establishing a network of local initiatives for inter-religious dialogue. Numerous groups work on inter-religious dialogue throughout the Western Balkans, but their initiatives and achievements remain just familiar to their local communities. This project networks participants and organisations who are involved in the dialogue by two main activities:

  • On-line e-learning programme “School of Tolerance: Ethnic and Religious Communities in the Period of Transition”, development, organisation and conduction of highly interactive on-line e-learning programme for 25 participants (lasting two months), selected from the Western Balkan countries. The programme is running on the website http://veraznanjemir.bos.org.yu/tolerancija2/
  • Continuous maintenance, updating and development of the web-portal “Faith-Knowledge-Peace”, already established Internet tool for gathering and dissemination of variety of information and networking among local initiatives for inter-religious dialogue (implemented by religious communities and civil society organisations) in the Western Balkans.

Programme “School of Tolerance: Ethnic and Religious Communities in the Period of Transition“ offers participants to reach the relevant knowledge of the currently burning social issues, not only in the Balkans:

  • What is the social role of religion and religious communities in the Western Balkans and in the contemporary World,
  • What are the importance and main features of inter-religious relations and tolerance in our region and wider, 
  • Which are the most actual contemporary trends in this field and how they influence or can influence our lives,
  • Which are the most efficient mechanisms for resolution and prevention of inter-religious clashes and for building the tolerance and mutual respect

Programme also offers participants:

  • Adopting the skills which will enable them to recognize problems in inter-religious relations in their social environment and to act in direction of the problem solutions,
  • Internet discussion with experts and participants from different countries about possibilities of our region’s societies for development of good relations among religious communities in favour of all citizens’ benefit,
  • To be educated by Internet usage, in accordance with the highest contemporary standards,
  • To create their own blog (the sort of web presentation) with professional help, thus to cover chosen topic from the field of inter-religious relations.

“School of Tolerance“ is an educational programme in which the whole communication between participants and lecturers is conducted by Internet. During 9 weeks of programme the participants elaborate one topic per week, and all activities are placed on the forum, chat room and blogs.

Web-portal “Faith-Knowledge-Peace” is continuously maintained, developed and updated during this project.

The most important objective of the portal is to provide the meeting place and enable local initiatives for inter-religious dialogue in the Western Balkans to meet, exchange experiences and disseminate good practices.

At the web portal you can find:

  • Updated list of civil society initiatives in the Western Balkans. The web portal congregates information on variety of NGOs and other civil society initiatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, BOS and IKV/Pax Christi partners, involved in the process of religious reconciliation and building and strengthening of multicultural and multi-confessional societies. Web portal congregates their contacts, missions and main activities.
  • Web portal gathers information of all educational institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, both theological and lay, and lists of their departments covering certain issues from the field of religion, ethnicity and peace building. 
  • The portal contains the list of theological and lay media from above mentioned countries, with their contacts and links (where applicable).
  • It contains the list of state (on the level of individual countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and international institutions and regulations dealing with human, religious and minority rights, education, freedom and independence of religious communities’ work, etc.
  • Updated list of hyper links of seven traditional religious communities: Serbian Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Islamic Community, Evangelic Christian Church, Slovakian Evangelic Church, Reformed Christian Church and Jewish Community (links of units originally coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) is also part of the portal’s content, as well as
  • Publications of all BOS and IKV/Pax Christi partners, and also other relevant institutions and individuals who are invited to submit any kind of publication from related fields and BOS team will put it on this web portal, enabling every interesting party to use it free of charge.