By Nawab Khan, KUNA
Brussels : Four events that took place in January have raised hopes that 2008 could be a key year to correct some of the alarmist views about Islam in Europe and various misconceptions about Europe in Muslim minds.
Spain hosted the first Alliance of Civilizations Annual Forum aimed at healing the rift between Islam and the West in the aftermath of 9/11 and cross-cultural tensions caused by the Danish cartoon crisis.
Spanish Prime Minister Jos{ Zapatero and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, proposed the Alliance in 2005 as an alternative to the “clash of civilizations” theory expounded by American political scientist Samuel Huntington.
The U.N.-backed Alliance of Civilizations ended with agreements to promote greater understanding between Western and Muslim cultures.
The second event was the launch by the EU of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue with the aim to boost understanding between Islam and Christianity and to promote respect of cultural diversity.
As part of the year of intercultural dialogue, the European Parliament invited the Mufti of Syria as the first speaker.
The third event was the signing of a charter for the Muslims of Europe by some 400 Muslim groups in Brussels describing the rights and responsibilities of Muslims within European society.
It is hoped that the charter of values will also correct negative images of Islam and improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe.
The fourth event was the announcement by the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, during a visit to Brussels that the 56-member Islamic group will establish an office in the Belgian capital soon.
An OIC office should have been opened here a long time ago, given the growing importance of Brussels as the undeclared capital of the 27-member EU.
More and more decisions on European policies are being decided by Brussels which affect ties between Europe and the Muslim world.
There is no doubt that in these turbulent times, Muslim communities in Europe are going through a very rough period.
As Bashy Quraishy from a Brussels-based NGO, European Network Against Racism, points out, many Europeans are “not happy that Muslims who were the enemies of yesterday are now living among them, demanding respect and accept for their religious rights.” He also called for a de-linking in the European media of Islam with terrorism or militancy.
Moreover, Quraishy urges the Muslim communities in Europe not to impose “your wishes or demand your rights by using unpleasant manners,” but to show respect for the society one lives in and contribute to its well being.
A recent poll by the World Economic Forum (WEF) points to the alarming situation in the relationship between Islam and the West. According to the poll, most people in Muslim countries and the West believe divisions between them are worsening and that most Europeans thought more interaction with Islam would be a threat.
Hence, much more active engagement and practical initiatives are needed between the West and the Muslims to eradicate deep-seated prejudices.