ZURICH, March 23, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) will soon present the European Union with the first charter on the relations between Muslims in Europe and their societies, after the document is inked by the major Islamic organizations across the continent.

"It took four years to draft this comprehensive document," Emad Al-Banani, FIOE's secretary general told IslamOnline.net on Thursday, March 23.

"The document is like a constitution Muslims in Europe are expected to abide by as it outlines the basis for inter-Muslim relations as well as the relations between Muslims and their European societies," he added.

Al-Banani asserted that the charter, drafted in French, had gone thorough juristic, linguistic, cultural and legal reviews and revisions.

He said the document would be translated into all European languages as well as Arabic.

The charter tackles the fundamentals of Islam, the Muslim presence in Europe, the relations between Muslims and their European societies and Muslims' political and cultural contributions to their communities based on the principle of citizenship.

The FIOE secretary general expects the charter to be a turning point in the relation between Europe and its Muslims.

He asserted that the FIOE did not want the charter to be a reaction to specific incidents such as the Madrid explosions in March 2004 or the London bombings in July 2005.

"We wanted the charter to reflect the natural growth of the Muslim minority and its integration in Europe."

Al-Banani complained that Muslims in the west face many challenges, the chief of which is the lack funding, especially those targeting young Muslims.

He added that Muslim minorities need money to organize cultural events, interact with civil society organizations and respond to anti-Islam media campaigns.

"Nobody works for free in Europe. All these activities need huge allocations which Muslims usually lack.

Still the biggest challenge, Al-Banani notes, is helping the second and third generations of Muslims strike the right balance between their Islamic identity and integration into society.

The activist urged Muslims in Europe to "shoulder their responsibilities and cooperate with Islamic cultural, sports and religious centers to achive this goal."

It aims to maintain the Muslim presence in Europe and to enhance and develop that presence so that Islam is properly and accurately introduced.

With a humble annual budget of 400,000 euros from subscriptions and donations, the FOIE has contributed to the establishment of the European Institute for Human Science, European Council for Fatwa and Research, Association of Muslim Schools in Europe and European Association of Media Personnel.

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