Assoc. Prof. Dr. phil. Hüseyin Ilker Cinar welcomed the guests and opened the symposium with a statement to the necessity of the mutual understanding of the different religions, cultures and people. Despite the differentness there are a variety of things in common, which have to be highlighted in order to promote the common dialogue.”Our task is to build bridges and to promote the dialogue”; Cinar said.
In this context Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cinar further states, “dialogue is not only the mission of the religious experts in churches, mosques or synagogues, it is more the mission of everyone, regardless in which function”. The goal of the IFIS&IZ is therefore, to be a contact point for the questions covering Islam and dialogue between the cultures and religions.
The mayor of the city Mannheim Dr. Peter Kurz, congratulated to the ”impressive opening”. “This is an important institute and a signal for the city of Mannheim”. Mannheim with more than 160 different nationalities is an ideal place for the joint development. “It is a matter, to take the “unifying” as the basis for the live together”; Kurz said.