From August 1 to August 6, a group of 60 students from across the world gathered for 6 days at the University of Vienna, Austria, under the auspices of a student-organized interfaith initiative, the Muslim Jewish Conference (MJC) 2010. The MJC is officially endorsed by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and the project is partly financed by the Karl Kahane Foundation and private donors.
photograph by MJC
MJC was born out of the desire to encounter and understand the “other”, and to start talking with –instead of about — each other. It was hoped that through this encounter, a new language will emerge for future inter-faith initiatives that will help bridge the trust deficit and pre-conceived prejudices. The enthusiasm of the participants, coming from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, and their fresh perspectives helped achieve these goals.
While during formal sessions the participants discussed how to combat Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and how to use Education and Media for a common cause, the informal discussions in the hallways, during coffee breaks, on the trams and at bus stops across Vienna, were the catalyst that helped break down barriers. The social events surrounding the conference therefore were in particular designed to give the participants room for private interaction. More information about the conference is available athttp://www.mjconference.org/
Through unanimous consent of its participants, each of the three committees was able to come up with a declaration at the end of their 6 days of discussion. Thus, for the Education committee, the way forward in interfaith dialogue was through facilitated encounters, physically and virtually, using history and art to develop inclusive narratives. The Media committee dealt with the role of the media as a tool for positive information and a change of perception within the two communities. The Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia committee sought to counter these phenomena through a joint strategy and approach against the dynamics the two create.
The conversations, however, did not end on August 6th, when the conference came to a close. The goal of the MJC was to serve as a platform for all other inter-faith platforms that have emerged from it and will continue to do so in the following years. The MJC plans to have this conference annually in different locations. Ilja Sichrovsky, founder and Secretary General of the MJC said, “Representing the University of Vienna at numerous international student conferences, I have witnessed inevitable misunderstanding and prejudices between young Muslims and Jews at first hand. The ‘Muslim Jewish Conference’ was called to life, to be the first step together for young people creating the power to forge a link between possibility and reality. Because the pronunciation of our names is no barrier for friendships.”