Faith Communities and Civil Society: A Dialog
"Faith Communities and Civil Society: A Dialog " is a citizens’ exchange for religious leaders, laypeople, and scholars from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Arizona.
Under the auspices of the project, 14 Bosnians, 14 Kosovars, and 14 Arizonans make structured visits of up to three weeks to each other's countries. These visits are intended to broaden the understanding of participants from all three countries of the democratic values underlying religious expression and religious diversity in American and Southeast European civil societies.
The project involves critical partnerships with the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict (CRSC), the ASU Department of Religious Studies, the International Multi-Religious and Intercultural Center (IMIC, Sarajevo), the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Sarajevo), the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Office in Sarajevo, the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Pristina), and the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Office Pristina.
This project is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
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Fall 2009 UPDATE
In January 2009, The Melikian Center hosted a delegation of Muslim and Christian community leaders from Kosovo for a three-week seminar, which successfully engaged the religious leaders from southeastern Europe with their counterparts in Arizona. The syllabus for the seminar drew the Kosovar religious leaders into sustained discussions of civil society issues confronting the faith communities of Arizona. The visits included working sessions with the Tucson Roman Catholic diocesan, Jewish community, and local Muslim leaders.
In May 2009, an eleven-member delegation from Arizona travelled to Kosovo and Macedonia for a two-week seminar similar to the one held in Arizona, including visits to the Jewish community in Skopje, Macedonia, the Muslim communities of Kosovo, and the Christian communities of Kosovo and Macedonia. Participating in the Arizona delegation were Professor Souad Ali, ASU School of International Letters and Cultures; Professor Shahin Berisha, faculty member of GateWay Community College; Imam Sabahudin Ceman, presiding cleric of the Islamic Community of North Phoenix; the Rev. Jan Flaaten, executive director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council; Ms. Marcie Hutchinson, history education consultant and retired high school history teacher; Professor David Kader, ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; Ms. Ilene Lashinsky, adjunct faculty member of the Melikian Center; Ms. Sandra Rooney, (retired) secretary for Mission Education and Interpretation, United Church Board for World Ministries, United Church of Christ; and Ms. Joanne Welter, Director, Office of Catholic Social Mission, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson. Melikian Center Director Stephen Batalden and Assistant Director David Brokaw accompanied the Arizona delegation.