A4-0167/98

Resolution on Islam and European Averroës Day

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights,

- having regard to its resolution of 30 March 1984 on the foundation of a Euro-Arab University for post-graduate students at one of the traditional meeting places of Islamic and European culture on Spanish soil ((OJ C 117, 30.4.1984, p. 165.)),

- having regard to the final declarations of the Euro-Mediterranean Conferences of Barcelona (28 November 1995) and Malta (16 April 1997),

- having regard to its resolution of 11 October 1995 on the Mediterranean policy of the European Union with a view to the Barcelona Conference ((OJ C 287, 30.10.1995, p. 121.)),

- having regard to the outcome of the hearing on 'Islam and Europe - meeting points' organized by the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media on 28 January 1997,

- having regard to its resolution of 6 May 1994 on violations of the freedoms and fundamental rights of women ((OJ C 205, 25.7.1994, p. 489.)),

- having regard to the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women of 1979 (CEDAW),

- having regard to the action platform adopted at the fourth UN World Conference on women in Beijing in 1995,

- having regard to its resolution of 9 May 1996 on the communication from the Commission on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism ((OJ C 152, 27.5.1996, p. 57.)),

- having regard to recommendation 1162 (1991) by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Council of Europe Directive No 465 (1991) on the contribution of Islamic civilization to European culture,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media and the opinion of the Committee on Women's Rights (A4-0167/98),

A. whereas European society has multicultural, multiethnic and multireligious roots which are vital features of its heritage and its multifaceted identity, and whereas it is deeply committed to the values represented by freedom, pluralism, democracy and human rights, and also tolerance, recognition and respect for others as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,

B. whereas Islamic culture and western culture have each benefited from the influence of the other in the fields of science and the arts,

C. whereas the harmonious insertion and successful integration of Muslim residents into European society constitute an important necessity both for Muslims themselves and for the Union and its Member States,

D. whereas many of the first generation of Muslim immigrants essentially drew their identity from and formed groupings on the basis of the ethnic and national ties linking them to their countries of origin, but subsequent generations are also increasingly demanding full recognition of their Europeanness and, at the same time, of their national origins and their multicultural identity,

E. whereas a mutual understanding of European society and countries with a Muslim culture is important in the framework of cooperation between the EU and the latter, and in particular those in the southern Mediterranean,

F. whereas philosophical, religious, cultural, ethical and civic values are among the features by which all social groups identify themselves,

G. having regard to the importance of enhancing mutual understanding of the cultures and civilizations in Mediterranean society in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership drawn up in Barcelona (November 1995) and Malta (April 1997), through the promotion of cultural exchanges, the learning of languages and the holding of meetings between representatives of the various religions with a view to facilitating mutual respect and cooperation,

H. having regard, in this connection, to the fact that the implementation of a Community policy and Community measures to promote equality of opportunity between men and women would strengthen the essential role played by women as a factor of integration, especially in areas of private and public life where democratic principles are disregarded and economic and social decline are giving rise to the phenomena of poverty and social exclusion,

I. whereas the participants at the Barcelona Conference stressed the key role of women in the development of the Mediterranean region and undertook to promote their active involvement on terms of equality in economic and social life and in job-creation,

J. whereas it would make sense to grasp the opportunity offered by the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the death of Ibn Rushd Averroës to highlight all of the foregoing and establish the basis for a new approach to the problem,

1. Proposes that the Commission should organize a conference to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of Averroës and the relevance of his ideas today;

2. Regards it as essential to step up cooperation between the European Union and the Council of Europe in the sphere of European intercultural dialogue with Islamic countries and non-governmental, democratic representatives of Islamic culture;

3. Stresses the need for the Union to establish the main features of an intensive and ongoing dialogue with the countries as well as socially relevant groups within the Islamic world with the aim of strengthening all democratic and pluralist tendencies and developing them where they do not yet exist;

4. Reiterates its conviction that, far from being restricted to economic, social or security matters, the Euro-Mediterranean partnership must also pay special attention to cultural aspects;

5. Believes that the aim of this dialogue is to achieve recognition of the state of law and respect for human rights, which implies a clear division between the laws of the state and religious precepts, since this is an essential precondition for respect for human rights and freedoms in a multicultural and ethnically diverse society;

6. Regards it as essential that the Islamic countries should embark on a process of genuine secularization and democratization which is based on participation and takes account of the concerns and requirements of civil society and its representatives, respect for each individual's fundamental rights, and equality in practice for men and women before the law and which ensures that the rights of linguistic, religious and ethnic minorities in the Islamic States are respected in exactly the same way as those of Muslims where they form the majority of the population;

7. Draws attention to the fact that the Cairo World Conference on population and development and the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing acknowledged - and demanded recognition for - the crucial role of women in the economic and social development of society, the need for the self-determination of women in all spheres of public and private life, their access to training and further education, employment and professional advancement and health care, and their right to a physically safe environment, with a view to securing the economic and social independence and personal freedom and integrity of women;

8. Condemns all types of discrimination against women, including attacks on their personal freedom and physical integrity in society when they are subjected to restrictions on their form of dress and to corporal punishment, sexual mutilation, disowned and regarded as inferior beings, denied any autonomy as regards marriage and family and social life, hampered in their efforts and desire to achieve integration, and suffer discrimination in employment, housing and in the exercise of their civil rights in general;

9. Calls for the comprehensive incorporation of equal opportunities for men and women - so-called mainstreaming - in all EU policies concerning cooperation with Islamic States;

10. Rejects the withdrawal by some Muslim communities from certain subjects on the educational curriculum and stresses that the compulsory public education systems of the Member States, which are moreover essential channels for achieving integration and acceptance, must be respected and that the principle of secularism must therefore be applied in the educational systems;

11. Calls on the Commission to:

a) put forward programmes for the mobility of artists and arts administrators as well as joint programmes for training teachers, journalists and cultural intermediaries, promote university seminars and encourage co-productions in the audiovisual industries;

b) step up activities relating to the areas of education and teaching under the MEDA programme;

c) propose the establishment of student and teacher exchange programmes in the context of university cooperation between Europe and the Mediterranean;

d) make it easier for the press of Mediterranean countries to deal with the European Union's press services, and promote media products produced jointly and disseminated on both sides of the Mediterranean;

e) examine how the position of women in Islamic states - in view of their great importance for social and economic development - and their political, economic and cultural potential for participation can be durably strengthened and secured so as to achieve equality between men and women, and in the light of the results of this survey, initiate and promote the necessary measures in cooperation with the Islamic states;

f) promote actively the foundation of a Euro-Islamic university at a suitable place within the territory of the European Union, which besides teaching and researching in the fields of relevant disciplines, would concentrate on contributing through the values and methods ('igtihad') of Islam itself to the shaping and articulation of a modern, self-reflective, liberal European Islam for Muslims in Europe;

12. Calls on the Member States of the European Union to:

a) devote more time and attach more importance in school curricula to knowledge of the civilization and culture of the Mediterranean Basin;

b) make it easier for Islamic communities to express their views publicly through the media on the same terms as other religions, while respecting democratic principles and mutual tolerance in the same way, providing that they respect the distinction between temporal and spiritual powers, as the latter do;

c) promote the vocational and academic training of imams and other religious leaders in Europe;

d) examine the possibility of making available to the Muslim population appropriate sites and facilities for their religious and funeral rites;

e) facilitate the learning of Arabic as a living language and actively promote research and education at European universities in the fields of Islamic culture, history, politics and societies;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments of the third countries covered by the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, the Council of Europe and UNESCO.