European Parliament Hosts Interfaith Dialogue Conference with Over 50 Participants from Three Continents

European Parliament Hosts Interfaith Dialogue Conference with Over 50 Participants from Three Continents
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The European Parliament hosted an interfaith dialogue conference at its headquarters in Brussels, bringing together more than 50 representatives from mosques across Europe, Asia and Africa, alongside Christian and Jewish representatives.

The event set out to discuss ways of countering extremism and hatred and promoting peaceful coexistence in multicultural and multi-religious societies.

The conference, held at the initiative of the European Parliament, addressed extremism, hate speech and Islamophobia. Discussions also focused on directing young people’s energy towards positive activities and strengthening the role of religious institutions in promoting tolerance and social integration.

French Member of the European Parliament Selina Imart said the conference aimed to bring representatives of different religious communities together to discuss shared challenges and develop common approaches that participants could take back to their respective communities.

Imart also highlighted the European Union’s financial and administrative support for Islamic associations, stressing their role in representing an open understanding of Islam and fostering coexistence within European societies.

Hassan Chalghoumi, president of the European Council of Muslim Imams, said Islam should not be held responsible for the individual actions of people or the activities of extremist groups. He stressed that Muslims are an integral part of European societies and share both the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Representatives of the participating faiths also underlined the common humanitarian values shared by the Abrahamic religions, calling for coordinated efforts to confront hatred and discrimination and preserve social peace.

The discussions further emphasized the importance of distinguishing Islam as a religion from the use of religious slogans for political purposes or to justify extremist actions. Participants also highlighted the need to challenge negative stereotypes about Muslims.

Among those attending was cleric Mohammad Mahzadeh, an Azerbaijani-born religious figure based in France who pursued his religious studies in the Iraqi city of Najaf. He said his academic experience at the Najaf seminary had helped shape his understanding of Islam as a faith grounded in tolerance and acceptance of others.