Many books about the Prophet are on display at the annual conference.

By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent

PARIS, May 8, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Introducing Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to the French people and speaking out against spiraling Islamophobia in the country are taking central stage in this year's Paris-le-Bourget conference.

"It was high time for our annual conference to have know-the-prophet as a central theme, especially in view of the derogatory Danish cartoons that were reprinted by several European newspapers," Lhaj Thami Breze, chairman of the Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF), told IslamOnline.net.

"They depicted our Prophet in the most despicable manner because they are unaware of his noble characteristics. Our answer is to show them that he was indeed a mercy for mankind."

Last September, Denmark's mass-circulation daily Jyllands Posten commissioned and printed 12 caricatures of the Prophet, including one showing him with a turban shaped like a bomb strapped to his head.

The images, considered blasphemous under Islam, were later reprinted by European newspapers.

The cartoons controversy has motivated world Muslims to champion local know-Prophet campaigns to introduce Islam to non-Muslims.

In March, Muslim scholars decided to establish an international organization and a fund to defend the Prophet against defamatory attacks in the West.

IslamOnline.net has also launched a multi-lingual website to acquaint non-Muslims with the Prophet.

Exhibition

An exhibition featuring works and paintings introducing the Prophet is attracting thousands of visitors.

One of the things on display is a maquette of the Cave of Hira' where Angel Gabriel came to the Prophet Muhammad with the Noble Qur'an.

Paintings of the Muslim holy city of Makkah as well as of Qura'nic verses about the Prophet's manners also showcased.

Many books, both in Arabic and French, about the Prophet are on sale in the conference.

Muslim reverts have also sought to raise funds for printing and distributing 400,000 copies of a new book about the Prophet.

"The move aims to introduce the Prophet to the French people," Hasan Farsado, leader of the Union of Muslim Associations in the Seine-Saint-Denis district, told IOL.

The Bourget conference, the biggest Muslim convention in Europe, was opened on Friday, May 5, and runs until Monday, May 8.

Last year, more than 150,000 Muslims from across Europe attended the conference, up from the previous year's 120,000.

Islamophobia

One of the things on display is a maquette of the Cave of Hira' where Angel Gabriel came to the Prophet Muhammad with the Noble Qur'an.

The Bourget conference also addressed the troubling phenomenon of rising anti-Muslim campaigns in France.

It saw the release of a new album by French Muslim rap singer Jamal about anti-Muslim discrimination.

The album urges respect of the Muslim belief and denounces Islamophobic campaigns in the European country.

French officials and MPs who attended some of the conference proceedings have also spoken out against anti-Muslim campaigns by many far-rights politicians.

Opening his presidential campaign on April 23, Philippe de Villiers, the head of the Movement for France (MPF) party, warned against what he termed "Islamization of France".

He claimed in a new book, "Les Mosquees De Roissy" (The Mosques of Roissy), that the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport was infiltrated by "Muslim radicals."

This has scared away Muslim workers from the airport's prayer room fearing that they might be tracked by police as "potential terrorists."

The number of Muslims in France exceeds six millions, representing 10% of the population, the largest Muslim minority in Europe.