Platform for Interreligious Encounters | Plattform für interreligiöse Begegnung (PFIRB)

Organization and promotion of interreligious dialogue in Vienna´s districts

Initiators
PFIRB was founded in spring 2002 by Erwin Neumann, Roland Ritter-Werneck and Mouddar Khouja. The Platform is a politically independent, interreligious committee consisting of representatives of officially registered religions and confessional communities in Austria. Partnerships with other organizations and associations include the MA 17 – Integration and Diversity of the City Vienna, the Friedensakademie (Peace Academy), the Gesellschaftsklimabündnis (Union for the Improvement of Social Climate).

Occasion
Members of the PFIRB set out to strengthen interreligious dialogue in Austria. Austria is multi-cultural, its people coming from diverse countries. They speak different languages and are part of different religions and denominations.

Target Groups
Officially registered religious and confessional communities as well as those interested in promoting interreligious encounters. Solidarity with people discriminated against on grounds of their religion. The association also aims at reaching people in need of help.

Objectives

  • Support and promote networks between the individual multireligious forums ‒ Multireligiöse Bezirksforen (MRBF) ‒ in various districts of Vienna
  • Create opportunities for members of the different religions to meet
  • Lay the foundations for elimination of prejudices
  • Foster mutual respect
  • Strengthen social communication
  • Contribute to a culture of peace and non-violence

Topics

  • Mutual appreciation through direct contacts, against fear and hate, for non-violence and peace
  • Humanism and business ethics
  • Interest in the other
  • Broadening one´s own horizon
  • Inquiry into the truths of one´s own religion
  • Willingness to open up to new experiences
  • Abstaining from proselytizing others to one´s own religion
  • Objectivity in regard to one´s own religion
  • Non-violence and kindness toward oneself and others
  • Striving to overcome boundaries and to develop new forms of community
  • The search for commonalities

Duration
Having been founded in 2002, the Platform continues for an unlimited period.

Activities

  • Solidarity with people of different religious backgrounds, who are being discriminated against
  • Assistance in solving religious-specific problems
  • Support of regional projects
  • Enhancement of measures that encourage communication
  • Organization of joint events of all religions represented in the various districts of Vienn
  • Joint search for ways to peace based on the respective religious tradition
  • Multi-cultural and multireligious Peace Festivals in the Viennese districts (annually)
  • Multireligious forums in the districts (Multireligiöse Bezirksforen) (five times a year)
  • Open house events pertaining to interreligious communication
  • Interreligious Talks (ongoing) starting in 2002 with the interreligious dialogue between Christians and Muslim as topic
  • Distribution of complimentary flowers along with the PFIRB Flyer in 4 languages (annually)

Form of Organization
PFIRB is an association. The larger part of the multireligious forums in various districts (currently 12), originate with the PFIRB. Membership may be full, associate and honorary. In accordance with the Austrian law governing associations, the executive committee consists of four members.

Multireligious Forums in Vienna District (MRBF): 2. District - 3. District - 6. District - 7. District – 8/9. District - 11. District – 14. District – 15. District – 16. District – 18. District – 20. District und 23. District

Funding
Donations. Projects are sponsored by the MA 17 of the City of Vienna and the respective districts.

Products

  • Flyer informing about PFIRB (PFIRB-Folder)
  • Collection of articles on different subjects

Website |Social Media | Contact
www.pfirb..at

Plattform für interreligiöse Begegnung (PFIRB)
Interreligiöses Friedensprojekt Österreich
Goldschlagstraße 26/5/9
1150 Wien

Chairman: Thomas M. Fiedler
E-mail: office@pfirb.at 

 

editor: kg / update: jb / bs 2022