The harmonious living together of Christians and Muslims needs “sensibility”, says the Ecumenical Council of Austrian Churches (Örkö) in a communiqué issued in Vienna in recent days. Underlining its own “interest in peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims in this country, the Ecumenical Council renewed, a year after the international conference of imams held in the Austrian capital, its commitment “to interfaith dialogue and peaceful co-existence. Efforts in this direction must constantly take into account the fact that the majority of Muslims in Austria come from other countries, and from other cultural environments”, says the statement. The 14 Churches forming part of Örkö call for political action to foster “a differentiated perception of Islam in Austrian public opinion”; “particular importance” must be attached to the role of schools in this sense. The Ecumenical Council also hopes for the introduction of “sensible programmes of integration” to enable Muslims in our country to exercise their own rights and duties in society. The Churches “acknowledge with gratitude” – continues the communiqué – that “many forms of dialogue and collaboration exist with our Muslim compatriots” and confirm their readiness to continue to promote “suitable programmes also in their own area of action”, and to cooperate “with state structures and with the Islamic community”. In its communiqué, the Ecumenical Council says it starts out from the presupposition that “the Islamic community encourages and supports its own members in their efforts to integrate themselves, while maintaining their own religious and cultural identity”. In this context, it adds, “a proper training of teachers of religion and of imams is particularly important”.
