Source/Credit: PR Newswire | News
By PRNewswire | February 15, 2011
BRUSSELS, February 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, February 9, Member of the European Parliament Ana Gomes hosted a seminar titled "Religious Intolerance in Pakistan."
Invited speakers of the event were Prof. Joel Kotek from the Free University of Brussels, Ruby Akhtar from the Christian Party, Amin ul Haq, who is the president of the Institute for Peace and Scheikh Majid, who is the chairman of the Pakistani, Belgian Friendship association.
Ms. Gomes stressed she could not agree with the polarising comments of Ms. Akhtar, which "result in alienating Muslims" while what is needed is to "support pluralism and tolerance in all political areas."
That means that she is just as opposed to the blasphemy laws in Pakistan that are creating hatred and are marginalising Christians and other minorities in Pakistan as she is to Islamophobia and the people in certain countries who use Islam as a scapegoat for the social and political problems.
All speakers agreed that it is the radicals in Islam that hold the religion hostage in order to reach their own agenda and that the vast majority of Pakistanis are tolerant and moderate.
Prof. Joel Kotek was able to give many examples of the way religious hatred has been misused in Europe before the WW II by political actors to increase their control over the population. "The Pakistani blasphemy laws are being used by radical groups inside the Pakistani establishment in order to disseminate fear amongst the Pakistani population and institute more control via this fear," Ana Gomes closed her remarks in agreement with Prof. Kotek that separation of Church from State was an essential factor to help distance ourselves from past religious wars and conflicts.
Media Contact
Office of MEP Ana Gomes
Email: anamaria.gomes@europarl.europa.eu
Tel. : +32(0)2-28-45824
Read original post here: Religious Intolerance Discussed in the European Parliament
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