The Award was presented at a ceremony in Munich, Germany, on November 22, 2008.

The Council of the Foundation unanimously agreed to grant the Award on those here named. The foundation is conscious of the honour and recognition reflected on it by their willingness to receive the Eugen Biser Award.

Eugen Biser developed his life’s work in dialogue and argument with the original texts of Christianity, with Christianity’s history and not least with the spiritual situation of our own times, which are marked by secularism and atheism. At the core of his thinking is the understanding of God which Jesus transmitted to us – that God is the father of unconditional love. The love of God, which finds concrete expression as the love of one’s neighbour, is the indispensable basis for a Christian existence.

It is difficult to imagine a closer agreement in origin and aim, than that contained in the epochal Open Letter of Muslim Scholars "A Common Word Between Us and You". Inter-religious dialogue - without abandoning one’s own identity - is the duty of both responsible Christians and Muslims, above all since there can and will be no peace among people if there is not peace among the religions.

From left: H. E. Reisu-l-Ulema Dr. Mustafa Cerić, H. E. Salem bin Mohammed Al-Kasimi (on behalf of Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin Al-Jifri), H. E. Issa Nasser Ayyoub, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (on behalf of H. R. H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal) (Foto: Christine Vincon)

The Award:

English		Arabic

Programme:

Speaker	English	German	Arabic
Professor Paul Kirchhof, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Eugen Biser Foundation Welcome and Introduction
Siegfried Schneider, Minister of State, Minister of State Opening remarks
Christian Ude, Lord Mayor of the City of Munich Opening remarks
Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, Federal Minister of the Interior Religious diversity und social cohesion in Germany
Professor Richard Heinzmann, Chair of the Council of the Eugen Biser Foundation The Eugen Biser Award and the motivation for honouring H. R. H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal
Bishop Dr. Johannes Friedrich Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Chair of the Middle East Commission for the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany Learning together to discover Love: "A Common Word" and the reaction of Ecumenism – the motivation for honouring H. E. Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin Al-Jifri
Bishop Dr. Hans-Jochen Jaschke Auxiliary Bishop of Hamburg, Chair of the Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue of the German Bishops’ Conference The unity of God's Love and Charity: the first steps towards a Catholic-Muslim dialogue – the motivation for honouring H. E. Reisu-l-Ulema Dr. Mustafa Cerić
Dr. Heiner Köster Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Eugen Biser Foundation Award Ceremony

The Laureates respond:

Speaker		English
H. R. H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal Eugen Biser Award Ceremony Speech "A Common Word Between Us and You": Theological Motives and Expectations
H. E. Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin Al-Jifri Best wishes and greetings conveyed by H. E. Reisu-l-Ulema Dr. Mustafa Cerić
H. E. Reisu-l-Ulema Dr. Mustafa Ceric "A Common Word Between Us and You": Theological Motives and Expectations

Music

The "Cellopassionato" Ensemble – Professor Julius Berger and his Master Class

The ceremony has been broadcast live on television by Bayerisches Fernsehen (BR) on 22nd November 2008 at 11:00 a.m. and in a reduced version by PHOENIX on 24nd November 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Admission to this event was strictly by invitation only.