“Severe condemnation” was expressed by Paul Schulmeister, chairman of the Austrian Catholic Academic Association, on 1st December, in deploring the recent profanation of an Islamic cemetery in course of construction in Vienna. “We need to react with determination against such signs of intolerance”, said Schulmeister in a briefing to Kathpress. “The fact that numerous black crosses were painted on the walls of the cemetery shows that the fomenters of discord want to subvert the efforts of reconciliation, such as those of the Pope during his recent journey to Turkey”, he added, expressing at the same time his “solidarity with our Moslem brothers and sisters in Austria”. Also according to Al-Rawi, delegate for the integration of the Islamic community in Austria, the 23 painted crosses, discovered last Friday, represent “a deliberate provocation”. With regard to relations between Christians and Muslims, a new “Community of Christian-Islamic Work” was presented in Vienna on 24 November; it is aimed not only at promoting dialogue between the faithful of the two religions, but also at exerting an influence at the level of social policy through joint declarations, explained Josef Zemanef, co-founder of the institution and chairman of the AKV (Community of Work of Catholic Associations). Zemanek identified in the sectors of educational and family welfare policy some of the objectives that can be pursued in common. AKV’s partner in this enterprise is the Community of Work of members of the Islamic community, represented by the Viennese physician, Nihat Koca. As explained by Zemanek, the operational sphere of the new community of work is deliberately confined to Austria, in which “the best premises for Christian-Islamic cooperation historically exist”. For his part, Koca identified the defence of human rights, the inviolability of human life from its conception to its natural end and the “fundamental right to a free marriage and family” among the main objectives of the new institution. As regards Christian-Islamic relations, the Community of Work intends to help dispel “misunderstandings” and prevent conflicts. As regards potential contradictions between Austrian legislation and the Sharia, the Islamic penal code, Koca insists that Austrian law should take precedence.
