The Mediterranean is an important arena for multidimensional networks between Europe, Asia and Africa. Poltical developments around the Mediterranean are vital, especially for Southern European states and generally for the whole Europe, when discussing the theme of borderline between different continents, states and cultures. Interest toward Mediterranean issues has increased during the 1990s also in the Nordic countries along with the accession of sweden and Finland in 1995 to the European Union, and because of the Norwegian contribution to the Palestinian Peace Process.This publication is an outcome of cooperation between the Tampere Peace Research Institute, the Nordic Summer University and the European Science Foundation. This cooperation reflects one form of shared scientific interst toward the Mediterranean region at the Nordic and European level. The authors of this publication are representing different disciplines such as political science, international relations, history, journalism, social anthropology and regional studies. Providing a multidisciplinarian view over the Mediterranean region is the major aim of the TAPRI Mediterranean Studies Project in order to enrich discussion over the cultural encounters between Islamic and European worlds.