Educational Work on Tour: Imam Kadir Sanci visits Backnang

At the beginning of the month, Imam Kadir Sanci visited the Eduard-Breuninger-Schule Backnang. We are grateful for the invitation, the lively exchange and the warm feedback afterwards. Encounters like this one remind us how many interested and open-minded young people we meet through our educational outreach.

During the conversation, Sanci explained the idea behind the House of One and why it is “far more than architecture.” He also emphasized the importance of dialogue – and put it into practice straight away: the students asked numerous questions.

We sincerely thank the Eduard-Breuninger-Schule for the invitation and for providing the following report:

The students of class 1BK1W2 and the religion group of class W3KE1 experienced a particularly interesting lesson. On Tuesday, 11 November 2025, Imam Kadir Sanci, co-founder and board member of the House of One in Berlin – an institution where Jews, Muslims and Christians can practice their faith under one roof – was our guest.

The House of One is a globally unique project: church, synagogue and mosque united in a single building – a place of peace, dialogue and mutual respect. This emerging house is far more than its architecture, Sanci explained; it represents the shared search for understanding between religions and between people.

Born in Munich, Imam Kadir Sanci presented the project in detail. The association was founded in 2011 and became a foundation in 2016. Its guiding principles emphasize non-violence, reverence for all life, solidarity, respect, truthfulness and equality. Anyone who becomes involved must share these core values.

Using the floor plan, Sanci explained the structure: mosque, church and synagogue surround the central ‘fourth room’, which connects all three prayer spaces. This unnamed room is understood as a space of encounter. The three religions stand symbolically for all faith communities. If one were to build a room for every religious community in Berlin, it would require around 350 rooms – ‘an impossibility’, Sanci remarked with a smile.

He also stressed that the House of One is defined not only by its building: “A house without content is not as valuable as one might think. Since 2011, we have been filling this house with activities and ideas.” These include interreligious peace prayers in which representatives of different faiths pray together on equal terms. Followers of other religions have already been invited as well.

Afterwards, the students had ample opportunity to ask questions – which they used enthusiastically. At the end, Sanci asked what message the young people wanted to give him. Paul from class BK1 summed it up:

“The House of One is a great idea. Don’t let anything stop you – not even resistance.”