European Wasatia Graduate School Honored for Interreligious Peace Dialogue
During a reception hosted by Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, Prof. Dr. Ralf Wüstenberg, director of the European Wasatia Graduate School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, was awarded the Certificate of Honor by the Jewish-Muslim Beit Midrash, a Jewish-Muslim organization. Wüstenberg was honored for his commitment to reconciliation and peace research. He founded the trilateral research training group European Wasatia School in Flensburg together with Dr. Zeina Barakat. There are currently 27 doctoral researchers from 12 countries conducting research on peace, conflict resolution, and reconciliation.
“In our Graduate School, we are deeply committed to the field of peace and conflict resolution research and strive to support peaceful interreligious dialogue. Here in Flensburg, we are able to create a space for early career researchers from crisis-stricken regions, particularly the Middle East. I am very pleased that these efforts towards dialogue and the courage to pursue reconciliation were honored at the highest level during this ceremony,” explains Prof. Dr. Ralf Wüstenberg.
Recognition for interreligious civil society dialogue
The ceremony with Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog was organized by the Jewish-Muslim Beit Midrash, a Jewish-Muslim civil society association led by Amir Tadmor, former government spokesperson for Yitzhak Rabin. The organization promotes Jewish-Muslim dialogue in the Middle East. During the visit with the President, various projects were presented that aim to contribute to bridge-building and reconciliation between Jewish and Muslim people in the region through interreligious dialogue.
In addition to Prof. Dr. Ralf Wüstenberg, Professor Dr. Dr. mult. Muhammad Dajani was also honored. He is the founder of the Wasatia educational initiative in Jerusalem. The Wasatia movement (wasatia is Arabic and means balanced) fosters understanding through civil society participation as a Palestinian-Israeli educational program. Holocaust education is a key component of the program.
Building bridges in the face of major social challenges
The European Wasatia Graduate School for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Flensburg was established in line with Dajani’s educational initiative. The three-year doctoral program in Flensburg offers doctoral researchers an in-depth exploration of the topics of truth, law, and reconciliation through, for example, educational offerings on the Holocaust. “It never ceases to impress us to see how the doctoral researchers engage with one another over the course of three years. With our intensive support program, we train people who are capable of dialogue and who can become bridge-builders in the face of major societal challenges,” says Prof. Dr. Ralf Wüstenberg, explaining the program.
Prof. Dr.Ralf K. Wüstenberg
- Phone
- +49 461 805 2180
- ralf.wuestenberg-PleaseRemoveIncludingDashes-@uni-flensburg.de
- Building
- Gebäude Riga 3
- Room
- RIG 308
- Street
- Mitscherlich-Nielsen-Straße 2c
- Post code / City
- 24943 Flensburg