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Yet another year of fruitful and, at least for my part, joyful cooperation is turning to its end. The community, exciting discussions and encounters, as well as motivating work have kept me going this year. The outcome has also been a good number of brilliant publications, incoming competed research funding and thrilling conferences, seminars etc. […]

Throughout the course, the focus has been on interreligious interactions and dialogue. We discussed how history has affected us, how doctrine written in a different society affects us in a more secular and postmodern society, and how this understanding impacts interreligious dialogue. Languages play a significant role in our surroundings, culture, and life. They take […]

When visiting the modern and bustling district of Kadiköy, it is difficult to imagine it having any connection to the ancient city of Chalcedon. One of the first sights we saw when we visited on 10 November was a Starbucks, quickly followed by streets where anyone looking for anime and band merchandise, alternative clothing or […]

What comes to mind when you think of a liturgical language? Latin? Sanskrit? Perhaps classical Arabic? The following blog post is dedicated to the intriguing and mystical language of Ladino. Ladino is a spoken language within the global Sephardic community. The Sephardic community consists of Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle […]

What is the place of religion in a secular society? How should we understand secularism? Can there be peace among people with different beliefs? Do we need to establish common ground before we can discuss anything? Is it necessary to agree in order to have a fruitful dialogue? Who dictates the course of the state? […]

Our journey to Iznik began in Istanbul on November 8, 2025. We boarded a ferry and then a bus for a two-hour ride to our destination. The scent of morning coffee and the beautiful sunrise fueled our excitement as we awaited what was to come. Our first stop was the “Hagia Sophia Iznik” mosque (picture […]

While visiting Turkey and some of its most important historical sites from a religious perspective, we stood with many different people who were all pursuing the one God under their own dome. We discussed and learned about the pursuit of God in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The question slowly arose: All three religions proclaim the […]

After an eventful day in Iznik, one of our last visits was to the Basilica of Saint Neophytos. In 2014, the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality took pictures of the Iznik River, where archaeologist Mustafa Sahin discovered an underwater basilica. The Basilica is believed to have been built in the 4th century AD. When the archaeologist discovered […]

This blog text is a result of the thematic course “Interreligious Relations in Istanbul and Beyond: The role of Religion in Society, State and Secularism” at Åbo Akademi University through the Polin Institute because of the jubilee of the council in Nicaea that took place in the year of our Lord 325. It has been […]