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13:03 GMT
Grand Mufti of Bosnia extolls Kuwait's putting forth bright image of Islam
By Abdulwahab El-Gueyed (With Photos)
VIENNA, March 26 (KUNA) -- Kuwait exerts exemplary efforts at putting forth
a bright image of Islam in a way that serves Muslims everywhere, said Mustafa
Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia, in remarks he made to KUNA Monday.
Speaking here at the conclusion of a conference addressing Islam in Europe
organized by the Austrian foreign ministry, Ceric said Bosnia was grateful for
all that Kuwait did for the people of Bosnia in the course of the civil war
period.
He came out strong for principles of coexistence and tolerance among all
faiths and religions and urged adherents of these faiths to follow the path of
dialogue and respect for opposing views.
In response to the notion that Islam in Europe offers a brighter image of
that religion to the rest of the world, the Mufti insisted that there was no
such Islam as the Arab brand or the Turkish brand or the European brand.
There is one immutable Islam, he posited, that must be propagated by
enlightened Muslims in the media and elsewhere as one predicated on respect
for other faiths and tolerance for counterviews. Before going off and touting
Islam's major fortes to the non-Muslim world, he counseled, Muslims ought to
first learn the precepts of their religion correctly and refrain from
overbearing proselytism and set an attractive example to others.
Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plasnik - who took part in the conference
- in similar remarks to KUNA, underlined that Islam in Europe was an
indisputable reality as there are between 15 to 20 million Muslims within the
boundries of the EU.
Averring the open-mindedness of European societies to all religions and
faiths, she deplored attempts by any one religion to ramrod its tenets down
the throat of others not amenable to those tenets.
Europe upholds principles of free practice of one's chosen faith, free
speech and respect of opposing views, she emphasized while underscoring the
role of the UN in bringing closer the multiplicity of religions and
civilizations coexisting in the world today. (end)
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