“This is a very difficult task to achieve, but not impossible if all Muslims in Europe and human rights activists could join forces and act in unison,” said Pharaon.

By Mustafa Abdel-Halim, IOL Staff

CAIRO, February 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – A few hours after a multi-party group of European legislators submitted a written declaration on religious freedom to the European Parliament, a leading British Sikhs group reiterated support for the campaign.

The United Sikh organisation in the UK contacted the London-based Assembly for the Protection of Hijab to join the drive which seeks a European Parliament resolution against banning religious symbols, Abeer Pharaon, the assembly’s coordinator, told IslamOnline.net on Thursday, February 24.

The Written Declaration on Freedom of Religious Expression maintains that a ban on the Christian cross, Jewish skullcap, Muslim hijab and Sikh turban is an infringement of human rights, in particular Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It criticizes France’s ban on what it calls the display of “conspicuous religious symbols” in state-run schools.

“The ban violates the human rights of free expression and freedom to practice religion, undermines multiculturalism and is likely to create tension and racist attacks,” MEP Caroline Lucas told a press conference Wednesday, February 23, after she and four other MEPs submitted the declaration to the officials in the European Parliament’s Strasbourg headquarters.

First Step

The written declaration is co-sponsored the Assembly for the Protection of Hijab, which was founded in 2004 in response to a growing anti-hijab campaign worldwide.

“It is a first step in our campaign,” Pharaon said, adding the press conference was attended by reporters from several media organisations as well as Muslim supporters.

A written declaration in the European Parliament is a means for MEPs to make a political statement on a particular issue.

To become a resolution debated in the Parliament, at least 310 MEPs, half of the parliament, must sign it within 3 months, otherwise it lapses.

“This is a very difficult task to achieve, but not impossible if all Muslims in Europe [approximately 20 million of Europe’s 200 million population] and human rights activists could join forces and act in unison,” said Pharaon.

During the past five years, only six of 161 declarations presented to the European Parliament were adopted, including a ban on using dog fur in December 2003.

“These declarations seek to preserve the rights of animals. So why do not they care about us, humans,” said Pharaon.

Hijab has taken central stage in several European countries, especially after France banned what it described as religious symbols in state-run schools and public institutions.

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) lambasted the French move as “discriminatory”.