"At this conference, we hope to achieve agreement on a number of key issues facing the Muslim community in Europe," Sacranie said.
By Mohammed Sabry, IOL Staff
CAIRO, May 24, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – London will play host to a three-day conference to be attended by 140 Muslim academics and community leaders from
25 European countries to develop a moderate image of Islam in the West and improve integration of Muslim minorities.
"We believe that Islam can contribute in a very positive way to European society to the benefit of both Muslims and non-Muslims," Mutlag Al-Garawi, Kuwaiti
Ministry of Islamic Affairs Undersecretary, said in a statement, a copy of which was mailed to IslamOnline.net.
The 1st International Moderation Conference, to kick off on Friday, May 26, is sponsored by the Kuwaiti government.
The three-day meeting will discuss the best ways to integrate Muslim minorities into European societies while maintaining their religious identity.
Issues of cultural isolation among young people and countering radical groups among European Muslims will also top the agenda.
It is also hoped that European Muslims can rediscover the important role
Islam played in the world from years 800 to 1600 when Islamic thought,
science, architecture and civilization contributed heavily to society.
The conference will feature lectures by a galaxy of prominent Muslim scholars and leaders including Dr. Mohamed Salim Awa, secretary general of the International
Union of Muslim Scholars and Dr. Ahmed al-Rawi, president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe.
Common Grounds
The three-day conference is also seen a chance to bring the Muslim world and the West closer.
"This conference is an important staging post en route to finding a way to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe and beyond," said Al-Garawi.
"We are striving for positive action."
Muslim-West relations have badly deteriorated after the publication of twelve Danish cartoons lampooning Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
The participants are expected to draw up practical advice for European Muslims to fulfill their duties as European citizens while practicing their religious
teachings.
"At this conference, we hope to achieve agreement on a number of key issues facing the Muslim community in Europe which will help communicate the true nature
of Islam," said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
Garawi agreed that reaching an agreement on hot topics among Muslim minorities across Europe would help draw a more positive image of Islam.
"This in turn will create a better understanding of Islam among non-Muslims," he said.
A recent study by the Kuwaiti Islamic Affairs Ministry showed that ignorance and lack of empathy with Islam was widespread in the US and many European countries.
Almost half of those surveyed said they had little or no knowledge of Islam.
The survey also showed that Muslims rated lowest among favorable religious groups in these countries.
Beate Winkler, head of the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), on Saturday, April 8, told 300 Muslim leaders, imams and female preachers
from 35 European countries that anti-Muslim bias was spiraling.
"The level of discrimination against Muslim communities in Europe remains dangerously high," she said.
In a report in March 2005, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) said that Muslim minorities across Europe have been experiencing
growing distrust, hostility and discrimination since the 9/11 attacks.
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