ADDRESS BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU, PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE,

ON THE OCCASION OF THIRD GLOBAL FORUM OF THE ALLIANCE

OF CIVILISATIONS, IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Open Roundtable on “Addressing Islamophobia: Building on unused opportunities for mutual respect and inclusion”

(Rio de Janeiro, 27 May 2010)

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

I represent the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which is the biggest forum for dialogue of elected representatives on the European continent. It unites almost all the European countries, 47, with only one exception, Belarus.

Amongst these countries there are a few where the predominant religion is Islam, including the country I come from, Turkey ; in others, it is the religion of the majority of immigrants and of citizens with an immigrant background, who represent a growing proportion of the population. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have coexisted in Europe for many centuries. They share the same historic and cultural roots and recognise the same fundamental values.

In the past Europe has unfortunately been the theatre of some of the worst atrocities against ethnic and religious communities, or committed in the name of religion. But in many respects Europe can also serve as a model of religious tolerance and defence of human rights which are linked to the free exercise of religious beliefs.

After the Second World War, the founders of the Council of Europe were led by the slogan that the horrors of the war should be repeated “never again”. Therefore they elaborated some of the most sophisticated international legal instruments that protect and promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

At their basis is the European Convention on Human Rights. Its art. 9 guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to manifest one’s religion or belief. Article 10 of the ECHR enshrines freedom of expression, including the right to express religious or philosophical views or oppose and criticise them.

These two freedoms have to be reconciled, as they constitute the necessary requirements for a democratic society. At the same time they must not be abused for the destruction or undue limitation of any of the other rights and freedoms set forth in the ECHR.

Despite the unique legal protection that the Convention and the European Court of Human Rights provide, the reality in our countries is far more complicated. Racism, xenophobia and all sorts of manifestations of intolerance against people of different religious beliefs are a fact of everyday life in our societies.

These manifestations can be flagrant or subtle, but the result is the same: discrimination, social alienation and exclusion, tension between communities and fomentation of political extremism.

Islamophobia in recent years has been steadily on the rise. It has grown along the massive arrival and settlement of immigrants and asylum seekers of Muslim faith in many European countries ; and it has been exacerbated by recent terrorist acts by extremist people. Growing anti-Muslim feelings amongst the non-Muslim population go hand in hand with growing feelings of victimisation, frustration and alienation by Muslims.

Islam is the second religion in Europe and a constituent component of European societies.

Islamophobia is mostly the result of ignorance, misperception and lack of communication and dialogue.

Yes, it is true that there might be some extremists in societies who try to exploit or even abuse Islam just to promote their political agenda. They might perfectly be in certain practices incompatible with the values we uphold. These are all true. Yet, relying on these extreme examples or invoking them as a source to justify the negative approach towards Islam and Muslim people is also wrong and unacceptable. Such an approach, first and foremost, does constitute a total disrespect towards innocent believers. It, not only attempts to ignore the right to belief of innocent people, but also carries a huge threat towards peaceful co-existence and harmony in societies by feeding intolerance and all kinds of prejudices on the one hand; the feeling of insecurity, exclusion and discrimination on the other. To me, it is all the more dangerous and should never be allowed to gain ground.

For the Parliamentary Assembly, in combating Islamophobia, as well as any other form of intolerance based on religious principle, the key to success lies in the active and constructive cooperation within societies.

On the one hand, our European governments have a duty to ensure equal rights and opportunities - both in law and in practice - for all, regardless of their ethnic, cultural and religious origin.

They have to address the root causes which create a fertile ground for extremism, such as poverty, discrimination and social exclusion. They should grand non-discriminatory access to employment, education, vocational training, housing and public services.

Governments have to encourage immigrants and citizens of immigrant descent to participate in public life, to vote and be elected, in order to play an active role in public and political life, both at local and national level.

A huge work remains to be done in eliminating stereotypes, from schoolbooks, the media and public discourse.

Last but not least, when enforcing anti-terrorist measures, governments should ensure their strictest compliance with human rights and the rule of law.

On the other hand, Muslims and Muslim communities should be the first ones to condemn and combat any form of political extremism under the cover of Islam.

Muslim organisations also can do invaluable work in transmitting core European values within Muslim communities and highlighting their compatibility with Islam as a religion.

Because of its Statute, geographical remit and experience, the Council of Europe serves as the pan-European forum for discussing common strategies with regard to Islamophobia and any other political extremism in Europe.

We have a rich experience in standard-setting as well as assistance and co-operation activities for member states and neighbouring regions in the fields of democracy, human rights, democratic citizenship, culture and education as well as migration and refugees. We should do far more to make other countries of the world benefit from these acquis.

A significant number of Council of Europe treaties and conventions, for instance, could be opened for signature by non-member states, in particular from Eurasia, North Africa and the Middle East. Our Parliamentary Assembly has been also encouraging European governments to consider opening the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to participation by non-member states.

We would also strongly encourage states in North Africa and the Middle East to join the Council of Europe’s Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre) in Lisbon, as well as the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission).

We are eager to pursue our cooperation and set up joint programmes of activities with the UN Alliance of Civilisations. We also hope to work together on combating Islamophobia as well as on promoting the respect of universal human rights with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO). ISESCO and ALECSO can be particularly important in ensuring that their members respect the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

Contacts between Muslim and non-Muslim Europeans and Muslims in other parts of the world should also be facilitated. In this respect, today’s Roundtable is an excellent example of fruitful cooperation and dialogue and I hope that we should have many such opportunities in the future.

During its forthcoming June part-session, the Assembly will debate an excellent report on Islam, Islamism and Islamophonia in Europe. The Rapporteur, Mr Mogens Jensen from Denmark, had to be with us today to present his findings; unfortunately he had to canel his participation at the last moment because of the political situation in his country. I would strongly encourage you to read his report. I am very glad that the President of the UN Alliance of Civilisations Mr Sampaio has already accepted to also take part in the debate.