Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission in Brussels said that the high-level meeting with religious leaders within the framework of the Article 17 dialogue came on the topic of "the impact of the war in Ukraine on the European way of life." It took place on Friday in Brussels.
The published statement, along with the photos of the meeting, did not include any reference, from near or far, to the issue of burning the Holy Qur’an in Sweden by an extremist, or the tearing of the Qur’an in the Netherlands by another extremist.
Yesterday's meeting is the annual meeting hosted by the European Commission and brings together leaders of federal institutions and leaders of different religious communities in Europe. The meeting is held every year under a title that deals with one of the important issues facing the unified European bloc and the communities residing on the lands of the member states of various sects. But it did not take place during the Corona period
The dialogue began in the nineties and was activated in the past years under the chairmanship of the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament, but in recent years the level of European representation has been reduced to the Vice-President of the Commission and the Vice-President of the European Parliament.
The commission published photos from the meeting, which used to include representatives of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious communities as well as other faiths such as Buddhists, Hindus and secularists. and others.
   In statements to Europe and the Arabs, Sheikh Taher Al-Tujkani, President of the Association of Moroccan Scholars in Europe, said that the convening of this meeting came at a very important circumstance in light of the recent events in Sweden and the Netherlands, adding that he had previously participated in such a meeting in 2015 and after that he did not receive any invitation. Similar, and Sheikh Al-Tujkani addressed in his Friday sermon yesterday at Al-Salam Mosque in Antwerp, northern Belgium, the issue of targeting the Holy Qur’an by hardliners in European countries, and he said that the best response to this is adherence to the Qur’an and working to allocate daily time for Muslims to read the Holy Qur’an. After the sermon, he said to Europe and the Arabs, "Isn't this call of mine the greatest evidence of tolerance? What can we do more than that?" Noting the importance of the role that the media can play in confronting such incidents that target Islam and Muslims.
Dr. Khaled Hajji, head of the Association of Moroccan Scholars in Europe, based in Brussels, previously said that promoting dialogue in order to enhance opportunities for coexistence is a very important matter that was agreed upon during a meeting in this context hosted by the European Commission, years ago. .