Culture, Education, Youth

Salaam-Shalom Budapest

About this project

The project Salaam-Shalom Budapest, active between 2016 and 2018, was inspired by the Muslim Jewish Conference (MJC) and was established following the model of Salaam Schalom in Germany. The project's goal is to reach out to the Muslim and Jewish communities of Budapest and initiate a dialogue between them. During the project, we organized several events and meeting opportunities for Jews, Muslims, and those committed to peaceful coexistence. One type of event was a more formal, plenary, or panel discussion with the participation of subject matter experts. In addition, we also organized informal events where participants could meet and talk to one another in a more intimate setting during a mutual activity (e.g. cooking, hiking, movie screening).

Why is it important?

Antisemitism and Islamophobia – similar to other forms of racism – have become major problems not only in Hungary but globally. Since the migrant crisis of 2015, which also affected Hungary to a great extent, Islamophobic voices and actions have obviously intensified in our country. Besides, the Israeli-Palestine conflict has always had a negative impact on the Muslim-Jewish relationship. It was important to us to create an environment in which Jews and Muslims could get to know each other better, start a dialogue with one another, and even make friends.

Why is it special?

Approximately 80,000 Jews and 30,000 Muslims live in Budapest. Salaam-Shalom was the very first initiative that provided an informal platform for Jews and Muslims to start a dialogue. According to various surveys and studies, personal contact can reduce the distance between different social groups. Although there are differences between Muslims and Jews, we focused on the similarities and shared values of both religions. In our meetings, we also started working together on changing the negative attitudes of the majority of society.