Conference of European Churches (CEC)
Conférence des Eglises européennes (KEK)
Konferenz Europäischer Kirchen (KEK)
Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (CCEE)
Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE)
Rat der Europäischen Bischofskonferenzen (CCEE)
ISLAM IN EUROPE COMMITTEE
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Letter to the Churches in Europe
The role of the Christian churches in a pluralistic society,
as seen by the Muslims of Europe
The members of the Committee “Islam in Europe”1 have consulted Muslims and looked at
their writings, to try to understand what they expect of the churches' role in European society.
Initially, the churches took charge of the integration of Muslims through a variety of
humanitarian actions. Today, the churches can give their help in the various processes of
institutionalisation, thus drawing up new relationships between the Church, the State and the
Muslim community. Muslims are very conscious that the mediation of the churches is
sometimes inevitable, as they are more knowledgeable about the machinery of State.
However, it is far from rare to come across a certain caution among Muslims, who can be
fearful that this help only hides the real aim: proselytism. There are some who denounce the
churches' fears about the institutionalisation of Islam as a religion in the different countries of
Europe.
Once the process of integration is achieved, Muslims have various diverse attitudes towards
the churches. They might continue to have a relationship of esteem; they might find solidarity
with certain lay structures; sometimes they might find themselves debating against
Christianity; or they might simply become indifferent. The mystical wing often has an attitude
towards the Christian faith which is imbued with respect.
Although there are "hard cores" of puritans, some Muslims talk increasingly smoothly about
western society and with the churches. In Britain, for example, they say that, "the churches
have adopted a more proactive role with regard to mosques, by trying to understand them
and to create a relationship with them. This interaction has helped us to be aware that the
Church was not there to convert, but to establish a relationship with us, and to understand
our worries."2
While talking about these differing attitudes, it should be added that it is impossible to talk
globally, as Islam is not monolithic. The Muslim populations, which have, progressively and
1
The Committee for Islam in Europe was founded in 1987 by the Council of Episcopal Conference of
Europe (CCEE) and the Conference European of Churches (KEK) to help the European churches to
reflect on, and give them some pastoral indications about, the growing presence of Muslims in Europe.
It is made up of members, consultants and observers. The Committee has a four-year mandate and
meets twice a year. The current Committee's mandate began in 1999. The winter meeting is always
in the same place (currently Brussels). The autumn meeting is in different countries, to allow the
Committee to see at first hand the situation in various countries, and to make contact both with local
churches and local Muslim communities.
2 Interview between Philip Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Leeds and
multi-faith adviser to the Anglican Bishop of Bradford, and Mr Iqbal Sacranie, General Secretary of the
Muslim Council of Great Britain.
definitively, established themselves in different Western European countries, have diverse
origins.
In certain European countries, succeeding generations reaffirm their belonging to Islam,
culturally and religiously in a society which is more and more pluralist and secularised.
Inherent difficulties with the integration of Muslims in Europe
Islam is taking up a visible place in the public domain, which can provoke certain difficulties.
Muslims themselves find that they are at a crossroads between several legal systems - the
legal system of the West, Islamic law, and the legal system of their own country of origin.
Certain countries, such as Bosnia and Germany, have not yet decided which direction to
take: should they introduce an Islamic family law or not?
On the other hand, certain countries find themselves confronted by the problem of
representation. This process is making its mark in different ways according to the country,
and some have already put something into place, or are in the process of doing so.
What do today's Muslims expect from the churches in European society?
1. Attitudes towards Islam
Certain Muslims rely on Christians to ensure that the principles of democracy are applied to
them. They would like the churches to support new legislation which would make religious
discrimination illegal. Finally, they would like the churches to help them to break down
prejudices about them. Certain Muslims would like to be thought of as Muslims, rather than
as part of a divided ethnic community, while others would rather be defined by their
nationality. Recognition, indifference or hostility can change the development of the attitudes
of the Muslim population.
2. Criticism of Christianity
Some Muslims criticise the weakness of the churches in Europe. For certain radicals,
western society has lost its 'biblical pillar' - an opinion which the churches themselves do not
share - and the only pillar which remains is the inheiritance of pagan antiquity. Others
maintain the superiority of Islam over the West; thus a Muslim living in Switzerland
underlines that the West appreciates Prometheus the Titan, symbol of the revolt against the
gods, while Islam remains faithful to the law of Abraham3.
However, the churches are perceived as potential elements of moral improvement in society,
whose influence is unfortunately in free fall. This is easily interpreted as a demonstration of
the superiority of Islam, which does not allow for division between the temporal and the
spiritual.
As to the Muslims themselves, some feel that they are ready for a positive integration into
European society. In the modern context, they wish to reflect upon the foundations of their
religion and to integrate the positive aspects of the modern world, while remaining attached
to the sacred and wishing to escape the phenomenon of secularisation.
3
Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Philosophy, Islam and French Literature in Switzerland. See Islam, le
face à face des civilisations, Ed. Tawhid, 1995, p276-295.
A similar idea comes from Akbar Ahmed (a Pakistani Muslim teaching at Cambridge) on post-modern
Europe. "Rambo is the Achilles of Ancient Greece as the biblical pillar is no more". See
Postmodernism and Islam. Predicament and Promise. Akbar Ahme. London, Routeledge, 1992.
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3. Common attitudes and means of action
From the point of view of other Muslims, de-islamisation and de-christianisation are the
same. Christians and Muslims are wondering how to formulate their identity in a changing
context. Faith no longer transmits itself by tradition, and its transmission must be
increasingly taken into account. There is a true religious illiteracy, a lack of knowledge of
one's own history. A solid education is necessary to be able to understand the culture and
the faith of the other.
They ask that, together, we examine the problems of society and the values it needs, as
these challenges confront all the faiths. They define some as :
 faith can bring values and so it is necessary to work to put across the correct image;
 finding new common ways in spirituality (the reference points have disappeared) or in
actions;
 according to a Muslim in Greece, members of different religions can sit around the same
table to discuss fundamental questions which affect society (environment, poverty,
injustice, respect for the person, the rights of all without racial/national/religious/social
discrimination, crime, divorces, teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse, bio-ethics, etc).
"We have to confront the major problems of environment and poverty ... The major religions
of the world hold the wisdom of centuries. We are all creatures of God, and we view
mankind from that perspective. We must make the most of this wisdom, we can talk about
the respect for the person, of rights for all. We must oppose all differences. .... There is
nothing to be gained in dividing mankind"4.
What the Muslims suggest
Today, Islam and Muslims are situated in the context of a democratic, pluralist Europe which
has as its foundation the respect for the rights of man, fundamental liberties, and respect for
minorities. With regard to religion, culture and minority groups, the Muslims would like to be
welcomed and treated as they should be.
Too often, faith has been ignored as an important part of the identity and self-definition of
minority communities. It is necessary to guarantee to minorities the possibility of playing a
full role in public life, both at local and national level. A Czech Muslim wishes that "Muslims
would appreciate that the Christian churches have helped them to obtain official recognition
by the Interior Ministry as a religious society (equivalent to the churches), rather than the
current recognition, which is more of a cultural association"5. It can be that the churches are
the principal obstacle to be overcome6, which is the opinion of Muslims in Italy.
They also wish that the churches would work to avoid at all costs the culture of contempt for
both faiths. A Czech Muslim explains: "Just as in Christianity, there are several movements
and tendencies within Islam. There are radicals and moderates on both sides. Just as we
don't think that it would be fair to judge Christianity by the Inquisition of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, so it is unfair to judge Islam by today's extremists. The two faiths
4
Letter, 23 June 2000 to Professor Alexander Kariotoglous in Athens, from the Mufti of Komotini, Mr
Merso Tzemali.
5 Interview with M Mohammed Ali Silhavy (convert to Islam in 1938, recognised leader of El Ittihad El
Islami, the Czech Muslim centre). Interview reported by Professor Lubos Kropcek, Prague.
6 Workers from UCOII (Unione delle Comunita de Organizzazioni Islamiche in Italia) publicly maintain
that the Catholic Church is the principal obstacle against the spread of Islam in Italy. Today, Muslims
are spoken of as a minority which seeks co-existence and collaboration with the other religious
communities of the country.
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contain many moral values which society needs. We have to work to give the right image of
both faiths in the media in order to ease the integration of immigrants into society"7.
According to a Muslim in Germany, "The Church also has a role as mediator between the
different groups in society. That means that she has a contribution to make in terms of more
mutual understanding, tolerance, respect, destroying prejudices, building and maintaining
open relationships, unity and brotherhood between people, the values of the faithful, of
society, of the institution and of the State"8. The Church can support moral and religious
values to ease the warmth between cultures, people, and faiths in the middle of diversity.
On the other hand, there are those who want to act together to avoid communality. They
suggest reflecting together on questions of faith, modernity and society and intervening on
the social, political and economic levels.
While hoping for collaboration, they demand that each faith should keep its own beliefs, and
even make them more specific. For example, in Britain, "Where we can work together, we
work very closely with Church organisations, as well as with those of other faiths ... from the
moment that we hold firmly onto our beliefs and the message given by the Koran and the
Bible.... I would like the churches to be more firm, less compromising, particularly with
regard to values in education, to ensure that family values are respected"9.
Furthermore, they would like believers to listen to one another, organising meetings and
debates, for example on formation; taking account of each others' culture and faith in school
programmes; making school children talk with believers of the faiths they are studying;
training competent teachers; holding serious debates on the content and objectives of
formation; and coming together to ask questions which can feed the debate.
Conclusion
The churches have joined the path a favourable involvement with religious plurality. That is
why the members of the Committee for Islam in Europe think that it is important to make
known to the churches the different points of view of Muslims about their role in this pluralist
society. It goes without saying that these are not part of the vision of the Islam in Europe
Committee, that we do not identify ourselves with the affirmations or criticisms of certain
Muslims, and that we are not intending to answer them.
It has been said that many Muslims perceive the West as a civilisation which has lost its soul,
that the churches are not what they were, that the Christian faith has separated the spiritual
from the temporal. It should perhaps also be taken into consideration that the Eastern
churches make the same criticism about the Western churches as the Muslims. The Eastern
churches cannot easily accept a separation of the temporal and the spiritual. This is how the
churches can help one another to understand their critics better, and to make known the
dynamism and biblical inspiration of which they are capable. Together, they can give a
witness of faith in a European pluralist society, in full collaboration with all members of that
society.
7
Interview with M Salah El-Din Sayedi (Doctor in Laws, lawyer, resident of the Czech Republic for 17
years, very active in the Muslim community in Prague). He often takes part in meetings for
interreligious dialogue organised by the Christian Academy (an education institution). Interview by
Professor Lubos Kropacek, Prague.
8 Letter, 9 June 2000, from Hasan Demirbag, President of the Türkische Islamische Union der Anstalt
für Religion eV/ Diyanet Yserli Türk Islam Birligi (DITIB), Cologne.
9 Interview between Philip Lewis and Mr Iqbal Sacranie. See above.
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*****
Bibliography:
 Tariq Ramadan : Islam, le face à face des civilisations. Ed. Tawhid, 1995 (surtout p. 276295).
 Akbar Ahmed : Postmodernism and Islam. Predicament and Promise. London, Routledge,
1992.
 Shaykh Abd al-Khaliq Al-Shabrawi : The Degrees of the Soul, Spiritual Stations of the Sufi
Path.The Quilliam Press, London, 1997, prologue, p IX.
 Philippe Lewis : De la marge au cœur du système ? in Confluences Méditerranée n°32.
Hiver 1999-2000.
 Michel Guillaud : Faire France avec les jeunes musulmans, in Chemins de dialogue n°14,
21 juin 1999.
 Tariq Oubou : Les quatre clés de la réussite. La Medina n° 1, mai-juin 1999.
 Didier Bourg : Des dignitaires catholiques dénoncent le « péril islamique » en Europe…
Pouah. La Médina n° 3, décembre 1999.
 Jacques Neirynck et Tariq Ramadan : Peut-on vivre avec l’Islam ? Lausanne. Favre,
1999.
 Soheib Bencheik : Marianne et le Prophète. Grasset, 1998.
 Note de l’Exécutif des Musulmans de Belgique. 1999.
 Murad Wilfried Hofmann : Der Islam als Alternative. Muenchen, 1992.
 Murad Wilfried Hofmann : Der Islam im 3. Jahrtausend – Eine Religion im Aufbruch.
Diederichs Verlag Muenchen, 2000.
 Nadeem Elyas : Das weiche Wasser wird beziegen den harten Stein. Aachen, 1997.
Islam in Europe Comittee
June 2001
Original language: French
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