European Muslims aim to fight negative view of Islam
Regional-European Union, Culture, 5/24/2006

Muslim academics and community leaders from 25 European countries are gathering in London this weekend for a three-day conference to discuss ways of countering the negative images portrayed of Islam in the wake of the US-led war against terrorism.

The meeting, which starts on Friday, is being organized and hosted by the Kuwaiti government's ministry of Islamic affairs (Awqaf), which is seeking to act as an intermediary to improve understanding and relations between the Islamic world and Western nations.

Mutlag al-Garawi, undersecretary of Awqaf, said the conference is an "important staging post enroute to finding a way to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe and beyond." "We believe that Islam can contribute in a very positive way to European society to the benefit of both Muslims and non-Muslims," Al- Garawi said.

Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain Sir Iqbal Sacranie said he hoped agreement could be reached on a number of key issues facing the Muslim community in Europe that will help communicate the true nature of Islam.

"It is also hoped that European Muslims can rediscover the important role Islam played in the world from years 800 to 1600 AD when Islamic thought, science, architecture and civilization contributed heavily to society," Sacranie said.

The conference, which will be attended by some 140 academics and community leaders, is also seeking to improve better integration into society for Europe's estimated 44 million Muslims.

The focus will include how best to balance Islamic identity with European citizenship and confront social issues of cultural isolation among the youth.

The organizers are hoping attendees of the first conference of its kind in London will be able to reach conclusions and look to implement positive changes in their respective social communities such as in mosques, cultural centers and youth clubs.

A study of 2,400 people in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the US undertaken by Awqaf at the end of last year showed that ignorance of and lack of empathy with Islam was widespread.

Almost half of all respondents said they had little or no knowledge at all of Islam, while Muslims were rated lowest in overall favorability among religious groups.

Television documentaries and news were found to be the most powerful media in influencing feelings about Muslims, followed by newspapers.

Despite the negative images, Islam has been shown to be the fastest growing religion in Europe, with France having the largest Muslim population, estimated at 6 million, mostly originating from former North African colonies.

Germany follows France with some 3 million Muslim population, mainly of Turkish origin. In the UK, the population is growing towards 2 million, largely from the Indian subcontinent.

It is also estimated that there are nearly one million Muslims in the Netherlands, mostly of Turkish and Moroccan descent. A similar number is thought to live in Spain.

Other Muslims communities include around 825,000 in Italy, some 342,000 in Austria and at least 1.5 million living in Bosnia- Herzegovina, where they make up 40 percent of the country's population.

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