Copenhagen Conf. Eyes Better Muslim-West Dialogue

[sonz]

COPENHAGEN, March 9, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – A cohort of Muslim scholars, intellectuals and youths are meeting on Thursday, March 9, with Danish peers to bridge the widening gaps since the publication of cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).

"We hope our dialogue will result in practical solutions," Khaled Barakat, the head of a 35-member delegation of Muslim youths, told IslamOnline.net.

The two-day conference is an initiative from prominent Muslim preacher Amr Khaled to engage in a dialogue with Danish youths and intellectuals.

The meeting, organized by the Danish Institute for International Studies with funds from the Danish foreign ministry, discusses Muslim-West dialogue, freedom of expression and the status of the Muslim minorities in the West.

Leading among attendees are Swiss Muslim thinker Tariq Ramadan, Kuwaiti preacher Tariq Suwaidan, the head of the Cairo-based Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Institute Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen and Danish bishop Karsten Nissen.

Leaders of the Muslim minority have criticized the government for not inviting them to the conference.

Angered by the Danish government's lack of response to their protests over the publication of twelve blasphemous cartoons by the mass-circulation daily Jyllands Posten, Danish Muslim leaders have toured a number of Muslim countries seeking support.

The Danish government, in response, said on February 8 that it would exclude imams who took part in the tour from future dialogue, accusing them of whipping up anti-Danish anger.

Changing Views

In meetings with Danish peers, the Muslim youths will seek to cover three main areas.

"We will talk about What Islam is all about and what the Prophet present for Muslims," Barakat said.

"Discussions will also cover freedom of expression and the status of the Muslim minorities in the West."

The delegation comprises 25 young men and women from many Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Algeria.

Mette Mikkelsen, a member of the 25-strong Danish youths delegation, hopes the conference would help bridge the gap between Denmark and the Muslim world.

"We hope that our dialogue would help strengthen ties between Denmark and the Muslim world and bridge their gap," she told IOL.

She expects the visit of the Muslim delegation to help change current views about the Muslim minority in the Scandinavian country.

"I believe Khaled's visit would bear positive results on the Danes' view about Islam and Muslims."

Freedom of Expression

Anders Jerichow, a prominent Danish journalist taking part in the conference, said dialogue was the best solution to defuse the current cartoon dispute.

He told IOL he would explain to the youths the importance of the freedom of expression and familiarize the with Danish journalism.

But Mikkelsen fears the cartoon crisis would overshadow the discussions.

"I hope to have the chance to discuss many issues other than the drawings."

Jerichow said he was dissatisfied with the Danish media coverage of the Muslim minority.

Newspapers only speak about Muslims, not with them, and do not gave Muslims the chance to express themselves, he maintained.

Danish Muslims are estimated at 180,000 or around 3 per cent of Denmark's 5.4 million.

Islam is Denmark's second largest religion after the Lutheran Protestant Church, which is actively followed by four-fifths of the country's population.