From Religious Bubble to Interreligious Dialogue: A Personal Story of Transformation

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Thank you for submitting this interesting text on the effect of dialogue. However, the concept of dialogue is not clearly described, and the question about the effect of dialogue is not answered in the conclusion. 

Author Response

I highly appreciate your feedback. I am adding much more literature and incorporating your feedback. I was overworked and collapsed (low bloodpressure) but I am back behind my pc. I ntend to make this essay as good as possible. One reviewer suggested to change the title. I am suggesting to change this to: From Bubble to Dialogue; a Personal Story of Change.  I need a several more days to complete this. With my apologies.

Reviewer 2 Report

Your article is beautiful, but it is not an academic essay. You should engage with the scholarly literature on the topics you are dealing with or continue working on this and write a book. I wish you the best.

Author Response

You have hit me with the comment that this is not an academic essay. It is true that this is my first academic text in years. My focus has always been on practical work but I want this text to be academic. I am adding much more literature and incorporating your feedback. I was overworked and collapsed (low bloodpressure) but I am back behind my pc. I ntend to make this essay as good as possible. One reviewer suggested to change the title. I am suggesting to change this to: From Bubble to Dialogue; a Personal Story of Change.  I need a several more days to complete this. With my apologies.

Reviewer 3 Report

A better title is needed: This essay offers an authentic insight into inter-religious encounters between Christianity and Islam. It deserves publication as it is except that the title should be made more appealing and in connection with the dense material it covers.

Author Response

I am adding much more literature. I was overworked and collapsed (low bloodpressure) but I am back behind my pc. One reviewer suggested to change the title. I am suggesting to change this to: From Bubble to Dialogue; a Personal Story of Change.  I need a several more days to complete this. With my apologies.

Reviewer 4 Report

The only comment to the author I have concerns the third paragraph in the Conclusions where "my" after "my life" needs to be deleted..

Author Response

I am adding much more literature. I was overworked and collapsed (low bloodpressure) but I am back behind my pc. I intend to make this essay as good as possible. I am suggesting to change the title to: From Bubble to Dialogue; a Personal Story of Change.  I need a several more days to complete this. With my apologies.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Thank you for sending a second version of your article. As I said before, it is genuinely challenging to say whether this essay should be published. I love what you said. I work in interreligious dialogue both in scholarly and social contexts, and I think everything you wrote is excellent. Nevertheless, I do not see how your autobiography can be published as an academic paper. All our backgrounds should and would be the basis for whatever we say. However, in an academic article, I would like to see a reflection on theoretical categories and discussions, not a description of your life. I think you should start this from scratch, choose some of the theoretical points you mentioned and focus on them, forgetting (only for the moment) about all the autobiographical elements (which, by the way, you should use for a book, since everything is fascinating). I would be willing to read this new version. Thank you for your understanding.

Author Response

please see the attachment of the revision.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 3

Reviewer 2 Report

Thank you for the new version of your paper. Your story is fascinating, but this is a tough article to evaluate because it is not, strictly speaking, an academic paper. I think it should be published in a special issue containing similar papers.