Round table “Dialogue works – How cultural and religious dialogue forms a stable society in Europe”
17th April, 5-7 pm, Kino Tuškanac
“Never before has the need for inter-cultural dialogue in Europe been more evident. Recent events in France, Denmark, Belgium and Ukraine show that across Europe there continues to be a deep mistrust between communities and individuals living side by side. This can be both a religious as well as a cultural divide but in many cases it might be both. Sometimes it comes from recent demographic changes in Europe but at other times it is based on decades or centuries old mistrust. However, across Europe and here in Croatia there are excellent examples of situations where dialogue and discussion are what is required to build respect, break down differences and allow co-existence on this small continent we all call home. Come and join the EU National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) to discuss what works and how we can build a stable society where differences are respected and valued.
Conor Snowden, Eunic Croatia
Moderato of the roundtable is prof. Ivo Banac, professor of history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and a professor emeritus at Yale University
Roundtable discussion with speakers:
Amina Nanić (Croatia) – Islamic Gymnasium Dr Ahmed Smajlović, Zagreb
Mr. Jakob Finci (BiH) – President of the Jewish community in BiH,
Professor Jose Carlos Carvalho (Portugal) – Lecturer at Catholic Portuguese University of Oporto
PD Mag. Dr. Ernst Fürlinger (Austria) – Head of the Center for Religion and Globalization, Danube University Krems
Professor Joseph Maïla (France) – Professor of Geopolitics, Mediation and International relations at ESSEC, School of Management, France
PD Mag. Dr. Ernst Fürlinger was born in 1962 in Linz (Upper Austria). He is a scholar in religious studies where his main fields of expertise are Hinduism, Islam and inter-religious dialogue. He has published and taught inter-religious dialogue in Europe and India.
Professor Jose Carlos Carvalho is a graduate in theology of the Catholic Portuguese University of Oporto and studied at the Pontifical Institute in Rome. His areas of specialization involve New Testament theology and inter-religious dialogue.
Amina Nanić was born in 1987 in Derventa (Bosnia and Herzegovina). She is Master of laws (LL. M.), previously worked in a law firm in Croatia, now working in Islamic gymnasium. She is author of the book “Minorities in Law” and a member of the Croatian Ombudsmans’s Advisory Board for Human Right.
Professor Joseph Maïla is a member of the IRENÉ team on mediation as well as professor at ESSEC, School of Management, France. He was director of Policy Planning at the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Quai d’Orsay) until December 2012, and previously Head of the Religious Affairs Department. He was the former president of the Université Catholique de Paris.
Mr. Jakob Finci, born in 1943 on the island of Rab. President of the Jewish community in BiH, politician and diplomat. In 1991 was one of the initiators of the renewal of Jewish cultural, educational and humanitarian society La benevolence and his first vice president. As a diplomat, he served as Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Switzerland.
As a only Bosnia representative, Mr. Finci is a member of Advisory Council of OSCE -ODIHR’s Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
For his work, Mr. Finci was decorated several times, including Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and French decoration Chevalier Legion Of Honor, Award “Freedom” from International Peace Center Sarajevo, and is recipient of 2008 award “First American Freedom”,
EUNIC is the network of the European National Institutes for Culture. EUNIC’s mission is to promote European values and to contribute to cultural diversity inside and outside of the EU, through collaboration between European cultural institutes around the world. EUNIC’s aim is to expand the role of culture in Europe, and to strengthen cultural dialogue, exchange and sustainable cooperation between countries.
