Inter-religious summer camp

The inter-religious and the international cooperation as a basis for better living

The second inter-religious summer camp took place from 13 to 17 July this year at the Hotel Biser, Kalista. Participants in the camp were representatives from the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community in Macedonia, the Catholic Church, The Evangelist – Methodist Church and the Jewish Community in the country. When I came in the hotel, the participants were preparing for the morning lectures. Some were drinking their morning coffee, other were joking or walking along the Ohrid coast. No difference could be noticed between them. The topic of the first lecture intrigued everyone. It referred to Jerusalem, the cradle of the Islam and Christianity. The lecture taught that all religions call for a dialogue and all people must love each other. The rest depends on how people see things and whether they are original.

The Inter-religious Summer Camp takes place for the second time at the same place. It is a place where representatives from different religious communities gather to discuss various religious topics. They are part of the programme for inter-religious cooperation implemented by the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation and the five religious communities in Macedonia.

“The Inter-religious Summer Camp was organized two years ago. Due to the project’s success, we found time to organize it again in Struga, a place where the inter-ethnic dialogue can be emphasized. The students from both faculties of theology were present: the Orthodox Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, as well as representatives from the evangelist-Methodist and the catholic community. In the beginning, the students were introduced to the programmes’ goal and the activities that will be going on during the programme, as well as to the lecturers – two professors from both faculties. During the camp, the students spend time together, socialize in the evenings, go fishing, go to the beach, sing in the evenings, etc”, said Aneta Jovkovska, in charge of the projects’ implementation.

During the summer camp, the students could hear lectures on various topics by professors from both faculties and from other religious communities. They asked questions, debated, and since the programme was quite flexible, the participants had the opportunity to spend more time with each other.

One of the participants was Antonio Popovski, a student in the final year at the Faculty of Theology.

“This is not the first time for me to be in an environment where there are representatives from other religious communities. I had the chance to go to Sarajevo to visit Islamic facilities and spend time with representatives from other religious communities, where there the differences between people were unnoticeable. Since at the faculty we had a subject called “History of religions”, I was generally familiar with all religions. I find the lectures by professors from the Faculty of Islamic Sciences and the Faculty of Theology and other religious communities useful for my personal education and for knowing when to share the personal experience with the others, as well as to see what the life of other communities is like”.

Jeliz Daut is a student in the final year at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences. She is attending the summer camp for the first time and finds the programme satisfactory. She is glad to be able to be at the same place with representatives from other religions and to spend time together with them. “I would like to say that we feel more free in the extra programme activities, when by asking each other questions we learn about the rituals and the traditions of other religions. I think this is a positive experience we can share in other environments.”.

Besides the Summer Camp, the Programme for inter-religious cooperation in Macedonia includes lectures at both faculties throughout the year. There, both, the professors and the students visit the faculties and the religious facilities of all five communities covered by the programme.

The participants in the camp had the opportunity to visit “Sharena Dzamija” in Tetovo and the monastery “St. John the Baptist” , as well as this year’s traditional Galicnik wedding.

“I am so glad to take part in this inter-religious summer camp. In my opinion, the inter-religious dialogue is very important in this region where the coexistence is essential. It is not the first time for me to meet representatives from other religions. We have always had wonderful experiences and we have always learnt something new. Apart from the lectures, we spent the evening together and discussed the deepest secrets of our religions, from common things of the everyday life to more specific issues. A positive dialogue is born at these meetings and this is another example of an interethnic cooperation. It also makes grounds for further cooperation. Whoever comes with whatever prejudice, leaves the camp with a different opinion”, said Ivan Mikulec from the Catholic Church, expressing his impressions from the camp.

I left Kalista with the thought that the inter-religious and the international cooperation and the dialogue in Macedonia are possible. It all depends on us, the way we will accept the others who are different from us and whether we will emphasize that difference. Eventually, we are all human beings. We have one God. And all religions are basically the same. Whether it is the Bible, the Koran, or the Talmud, they all call for peace and tolerance. These young people will have something to say to their closest friends. If we free ourselves from the prejudices we bear, we will be able to live together and love each other. 

 

Fresh thoughts

“We are in a wonderful surrounding, with representatives from different religious communities who participate in the Programme for Inter0religious Cooperation. We gathered here to discuss things that will serve as a bridge for better mutual understanding and cooperation, for seeing a brighter and better tomorrow. I think the more we get to know each other, the better we will learn the truths of each others’ religions and we can understand each other better. Although we live in a multiethnic and multinational society, we should free ourselves from the prejudices and our rusty minds. It will give birth to fresh thoughts and make it possible to live in a more peaceful and better society where the “others” who do not belong to our community will be equally respected and tolerated”, said Petko Zlatevski, a docent at the Faculty of Theology.
 

Respecting the religions 

“In my opinion, this summer camp is very useful, especially because of the fact that the participants belong to almost all religious communities, and the students have a chance to directly meet representatives of other religions. They can hear original thoughts regarding the tolerance and the coexistence from the professors of both faculties; information on how the Islam and the Christianity call for tolerance and dialogue. This will have a very positive impact on everybody. I see that the students hold different opinions regarding many things before they her how the religion originally sees things. We see it in the everyday life, in practice – but it is far from the original idea and far from the true faith. Every believer has to respect what the other religion preaches”, said Naser Ramadani, professor at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences.

Gramoz Shabani