Trialogue: a Perspective from the Netherlands and from Isreal
Trialogue: a Perspective from the Netherlands and from Isreal

Summary/Abstract: In this lecture/article I will attempt to evaluate in short my experiences in the Netherlands and Israel; I will describe the status questionis of the so-called “trialogue” and draw some cautious conclusions. The situation in the Netherlands is very different from what is going on in Israel. Yet, some tensions are comparable, like the growing emphasis on “exclusive truth” claims and the rise of political and religious extremism. The recent internet film Fitna, by the Dutch rightist parliamentarian Geert Wilders, presenting Islam as an extremist religion, is an example of this development. In Israel and Palestine the political conflict is, on the one hand, a barrier for interfaith dialogue, on the other hand a stimulus to try to build bridges between the different segments of the population. But dialogue, let alone trialogue, is still a very rare phenomenon.

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