ZURICH,
June 29, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Seeking better relations among the
ranks and different faiths forming the Swiss society, a new institute
for interfaith dialogue has been opened in the Swiss city of Zurich,
with the participation of leading Swiss Muslim figures.
“The
message of the institute is to build bridges of communication with the
other,” Cebrail Terlemez, director of the “Cooperation and
Dialogue” institute, told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, June 29.
The
institute opened Monday, June 27, with leading Muslim, Christian and
Jewish figures attending the opening ceremonies.
Attendees
included Ismail Amin, head of the Zurich Islamic Organizations Union;
Ruedi Reich, head of Swiss Churches Council; and Harry Berg, head of
the Jewish cultural Council.
“The
institute represents a mechanism allowing Swiss Muslims to prove their
ability to engage in dialogue, integrate into Swiss society and
remove misconceptions on Islam,” Terlemez told IOL.
Switzerland
is home to some 380,000 Muslims, representing a sizable 4.7 percent of
the country’s some eight million people.
Islam
is the second religion in the country after Christianity.
Favorable
Opportunity
Terlemez
said removing misconceptions against “certain communities” in the
country and promoting dialogue top the agenda of the institute.
“Such
steps would enhance the peaceful co-existence, tolerance and
acceptance of the other among all walks of Swiss society.”
He
maintained that successful co-existence among the different races in
Switzerland was an indicator that the Swiss Muslims can benefit from.
The
new institute also provides a favorable opportunity to engage in
dialogue with the educational, health and social circles on the
cultural issues of concern for the followers of the different faiths,
he said.
“It
is the best way to remove misconceptions on Islam.”
The
institute also plans to provide training courses for civil servants on
the peculiarities of the Swiss Muslim minority, Terlemez said.
Courses
are also being planned by the institute to raise awareness on the
rights and duties of Swiss Muslims as well as to help solve problems
emerging from misconceptions on issues related to Islam and Muslims,
he added.
Muslim
Initiatives
The
Catholic Church in Zurich also voiced hope that the new institute
would help promote dialogue with the Muslim minority in Switzerland.
“The
institute is named the 'Cooperation and Dialogue', the same term used
by Pope of the Vatican Benedict XVI on promoting dialogue between the
different faiths and cultures,” Bishop Paul Vollmar said.
Many
Swiss Muslims of the second and third generation joined hands in
establishing the new institute.
A
number of initiatives were launched in Switzerland to promote dialogue
among followers of the different faiths, some of which were championed
by Swiss Muslim groups.
Observers
believe that such initiatives launched by Muslim minorities were a
positive step to remove claims of Western circles that the Muslim
minorities in the West are living in isolation.
Others,
however, express concern that such initiatives could be misused by
non-Muslim bodies to achieve certain political interests.
