Brussels, 16/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - Radicalism and the resurgence of anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Europe dominated the discussions of religious leaders at their annual high-level meeting with representatives of the European institutions in Brussels on Tuesday 16 June. This meeting came two weeks after discussions between the European Commission, the European Parliament and secular and non-confessional organisations which focused on the same issues (see EUROPE 11326).
“Our societies face fundamental challenges, and churches and religions are among the actors that can play an important role in promoting social cohesion and bridging divides”, stated European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. European Parliament Vice President Antonio Tajani argued: “We will only defeat radicalism and fundamentalism if we stay together. Dialogue between religions is crucial to defend the values of our societies”.
The European institutions met leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Mormon communities. To a question put during the press conference on the challenges posed by young Europeans going off to join the jihad in Africa and the mass influx of immigrants into Europe, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who chairs the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), said work had to be done on integrating the refugees and he highlighted the responsibility that politicians bear for the way the refugees are welcomed: “We can only urge the EU to find solutions and come to a fair way of distributing the refugees”, he said. Secretary General of the Muslim-faith Majlis Ulema-e-Shia Europe Ali Sayed Razawi said that it is important not only to welcome but to integrate and provide psychological support to immigrants to avoid any later rejection of the values of European society. He argued that a legitimate image of Islam had to be presented to young people tempted by jihad. This was a view shared by Chief Rabbi of Brussels Albert Guigui, who said that young rootless people had to be offered an open and tolerant religious dimension, stressing the political responsibility for keeping these young people firmly grounded in European society.
The conclusions of the high-level meeting will feed into the first annual colloquium on fundamental rights in the EU to be held on 1 and 2 October 2015. The central theme of the colloquium will be “Tolerance and respect: preventing and combating anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred in Europe”. (Isabelle Lamberty)