The occasion for this event was the visit of the ecumenical worker of Mission 21 Uwe Hummel. He is a lecturer at the Theological College of the Evangelical Church of Kalimantan in Indonesia. In this predominantly Muslim country, there is a tense atmosphere between the religions. Mission 21 supports interreligious dialogue.
Uwe Hummel has had good experiences with biblical-Quranic readings at the Theological University and suggested that this should also be tried out in Basel. The dialogue partner Muris Begovic proved to be a stroke of luck. He worked out theologically competent differences and similarities in both holy scriptures. A native of Bosnia, he is an imam and the director of the Association of Islamic Organizations Zurich as well as head of the Muslim Emergency Chaplaincy Zurich.
The event asked how Mary is seen in the two religions. A central parallel of both texts, he said, is virginity. Begovic also noted, however, that in the Magnificat of the Bible, Mary very confidently proclaims a revolutionary message of change of dominion. An encouraging evening that made new insights possible through sharing. It is good not to talk about each other, but to talk with each other. In Ephesus there is even a House of Mother Mary, which is visited by both Christian and Muslim pilgrims.
