The project has been completed in January 2005

Project publcations are available as download from the website.

Summary

As in many cases immigrated minorities (immigrants to former colonies, labour migrants), Muslim communities do exist in nearly every EU country. The attempt to establish Muslim communities is followed by a variety of conflicts which can be described best with heavy prejudice, limited understanding and sometimes distorted perception between Muslim and Non-Muslim people. Recent tragic 11th September attacks have increased fear and distrust. Although there are various attempts to promote understanding and to inform about different religious communities, it is essential to promote personal exchange and intensive dialogue and to discuss and develop successful approaches promoting tolerance and understanding and combatting prejudice. Among the participating countries, there is already experience existing dealing with this issue which must be seen on the individual countries historical and socio-economic background. But with regard to the field of adult education, innovative ways of inter-religious dialogue and communication must be identified intensively and turned into valuable approaches and methods. As mutual understanding and tolerance is a fluent and complex process, it is on the one hand important to ensure the creation of new and further development of existing approaches within one country but also to find attempts for a common strategy in a European sense. Inter-religious dialogue and means of communication and exchange between Muslim and Non-Muslim people shall be recognized as crucial elements for adult education.

The projects objectives must therefore be seen on a transnational and a national level.

Transnationally, the project seeks to function as as an exchange and cooperation forum between scientific experts, adult educators and Muslim and Non-Muslim people from the different partner countries. On basis of the countries experiences but with a common dimension there will be guidelines be formulated as a common strategy in adult education.

Nationally, the project intends to analyse, develop, train and implement innovative approaches, means and methods of 'best practice' in the field of adult learning which are focused on the amelioration of Muslim-/Non-Muslim relations and the promotion of exchange and dialogue. Moreover, there shall be networks be developed nationally which include Muslim and Non-Muslim people and serve as a current exchange forum.

The first target group in the project are adult educators which will profit from the exchange, the training and the development of new approaches and materials. The second target group in a broader sense is the Non-Muslim and Muslim population and their ways of perception, communicating and acting.