Raccomandazione 15 aprile 2008, n.1831

Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly. Recommendation 15 april 2008, n. 1831 (2008): “European Muslim communities confronted with extremism”. (Provisional edition)*

1. Referring to its Resolution 1605 (2008) on European Muslim communities confronted with extremism, the Parliamentary Assembly expresses its support to the Council of Europe activities in the field of intercultural dialogue and its religious dimension, which give a remarkable contribution to the mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence of different groups in European societies. In this regard, the Assembly welcomes the forthcoming publication of a Council of Europe White Paper on inter-cultural dialogue.

2. In addition, being aware of the global dimension of the issues at stake, the Assembly greets the recent letter of intent concerning the co-operation between the Council of Europe and the Alliance of Civilisations and encourages further co-operation and the organisation of joint initiatives.

3. Furthermore, the Assembly recalls the activities of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), and in particular its General policy recommendation N°5 on Combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims (2000).

4. In light of these considerations, the Assembly recommends the Committee of Ministers to:

4.1. consider the activities in the field of intercultural dialogue and its religious dimension as a priority, and allocate appropriate resources for them so as to ensure that they are adequately performed and publicised;

4.2. support and allocate appropriate resources for the activities in the field of integration of migrants and persons with migrant background, including specific activities for integration and tolerance building among young people;

4.3. further to the letter of intent signed by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations, support the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Council of Europe and the Alliance of Civilizations;

4.4. increase co-operation in the field of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue with the UN and its specialised agencies, the European Union, and the institutions of the Barcelona process in particular, the OSCE and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference; and

4.5. invite the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct specific research on the situation of Muslim communities in Europe, including examples of good practice of co-operation between Muslim organisations and the authorities in combating extremism both within Muslim communities and originating from Muslim communities.

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(*) Assembly debate on 15 April 2008 (13th Sitting) (see Doc. 11540, report of the Political Affairs Committee, rapporteur: Mr João Bosco Mota Amaral; Doc. 11575, opinion of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, rapporteur: Mr Hakki Keskin; Doc. 11570, opinion of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education, rapporteur: Mr Mehmet Tekelioğlu; and Doc. 11569, opinion of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, rapporteur: Mrs Gisela Wurm). Text adopted by the Assembly on 15 April 2008 (13th Sitting).