Since September 11, 2001 the worldwide impact of religion, and not only on a political scale, can not be doubted anymore. In the region of SEE the special concept of religious nationalism brought new elites after the fall of communism who had misused religious identities leading to the catastrophe of the 1990’s conflicts. Today societies are challenged by rebuilding cooperations and coping with the increasing presence of religions – this also affects higher education systems. Since 1990, all countries of SEE have introduced religious education mostly on a confession-oriented basis. However, not all faculties offering religious education are open to believers and students of other religious communities. Besides, religious symbols in universities are still causing disputes. Despite these problems, the necessity of dialogue at university level has been clearly understood. The introduction of the first interdisciplinary master course in religious studies in Sarajevo this year gives hope that universities may increasingly contribute to improved mutual understanding (www.cps.edu.ba). Catholic, protestant, orthodox Christians, Jews and Muslims are all invited to activate the potential for peace and tolerance in their beliefs in order to pave the way for sustainable cooperation, prosperity and development in the region leading to better regional and European integration.

Article published in see-science.eu eJournal fall/winter 2007.