A new point of departure

How does Christian Europe receive Islam in Europe? How should we address the fear of “Europe’s Islamization”, and what are the chances for Islam’s ‘Europeanization’? These issues were addressed past July 3rd during the seminar on “Christian Europe and Islam in Europe”, the third meeting of the series of dialogue seminars on the broad-ranging topic, “Islam, Christianity and Europe” organized by COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union) jointly with CEC’s “Church and Society” Commission and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Kas), with the support of Islamic partners and of the European Union. The latter hosts the meetings aimed at “stepping up understanding, social cohension and peace in Europe”. The event is inscribed in the Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008. For the common good. According to Sara Silvestri, Professor at Cambridge University and at the City University of London, “Islam has clearly contributed to culture and science in Europe, whilst it had less influence upon the political and legal organization of society, contrariwise to Christianity”. Professor Silvestri claimed that “we ought to rid ourselves of the idea that identities are fixed once and for all, and that Muslims represent a monolithical culture”. Indeed, Islam and Christianity “share a certain tenets: the emphasis on the well-being of each person, the sacrality of life and the commitment of the faithful in the public realm”. “Muslims are concerned about the loss of values and spirituality in our secularized societies”, she remarked, pointing out that “intercultural dialogue promoted by the EU will be meaningful only if its implementation is aimed at fostering the common good” of citizens. No to erroneous interpretations. The representative of the Muslim community in Serbia, sheikh Abdullah Nu’man, guarded against “erroneous interpretations of Islam, which, are distant from the Koran and are overlaid with a series of cultural traditions which lead to misunderstandings”. Sheikh Nu’man maintains that both from the theological and demographic standpoints, “the fear of a Islamic invasion and the imposition of the shariah is without foundation”. He stigmatized islamophobia as “a racial pretext used to induce hatred and discrimination against Muslims”, while “Islam is in favour of dialogue and mutual love”. The sheikh Abdullah Nu’man thus concluded: “Muslims love mankind since it was created by God, and they love God because he created us”. Common priorities. “Interreligious challenges are a trait of Europe’s multi-faith societies and are present in all social spheres”, which include “schools and the job environment”, claimed Emmanuel Metropolitan of France, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the EU. “In Europe many people have an irrational fear of Islam. This fear is further propagated by media stereotyping and partial representation, and by the lack of general knowledge on Islam”. Metropolitan Emmanuel pointed out Islamic “was and remains European at its roots”. He believes there is “no need to Europeanize Islam. In fact, we ought to reconsider the perception of its diversity and traditions. The fear of Islam is a challenge that European Institutions, the Churches and the media ought to address”. According to the Metropolitan bishop, “a new point of departure could be a more balanced and truthful approach in the media, and by teaching classes on all religions at school. In this framework, the common features among religions ought to be highlighted, rather than the differences. Common priorities could be laid down in the context of a vision for Europe”. An obligation and a privilege. Concluding the debate, MEP Margrete Auken (Green party-Denmark) underlined the need “to listen, learn and pass on in order to overcome misunderstandings”. In this framework, “the dialogue between religions envisaged in the Lisbon Treaty is both an obligation and a privilege”. The final seminar, scheduled for next September 11 2008, will focus on the topic of “external relations of the EU with Muslim-majority Countries and the international responsibility of religious communities”. The encounter will also broach the subject of reciprocity and religious freedom for Muslims in Europe and for Christians in Muslim Countries. The first two meetings – on “Intercultural Dialogue: in response to which problems?” and on “Religious liveability in the European Public Area: the question of the places of worship and religious symbols in wear” – were held April 17 and May 29. For further information: www.comece.org.