“Islam, religion of peace” is the theme of a conference organized on Saturday in Dakar at the initiative of the Senegalese Association of Moroccan origin (Assom).
The meeting was moderated by prominent intellectuals and university professors who contributed with their relevant analyzes to shed light on issues related to the negative image conveyed by some media about Islam and the instrumentalization of religion by third parties for political purposes.
Speaking on this occasion, the president of Assom association, Ms. Mouna Dia Deme has immediately claimed that Islam is innocent of violence by fundamentalists who give legitimacy to their heinous acts in the name of religion.
Ms. Deme also claimed that Islam is a religion that defends the values of tolerance, coexistence and peace in the world, noting that terrorist acts committed by fundamentalists have no connection with Islam that rejects violence in all its forms, and prones peace and coexistence between peoples.
The conference, she said, therefore aims to provide clear answers to some questions in connection with violence and emphasize the peaceful aspect of Islam.
The images in broadcast media especially in Europe do not reflect reality and give a false idea of Islam considered as a source of extremism. These stereotypes need to be fought against through dialogue and debate, have said participants in the debates that marked the conference.
Recalling that Islam encourages forgiveness and rejects violence in all its forms, the speakers said that the negative stereotypes attributed falsely to Islam are the work of Islamophobic media known for their hatred and fury against Muslims.
Terrorist acts committed in the name of religion against civilian populations are often perpetrated by “ignorant” victims of a misinterpretation of the true values of Islam which is a religion of moderation and balance, they said.
Etymologically, the word “Islam” means “Peace,” note the stakeholders who called out the allegations from Islamophobic circles that use all means in their desperate attempt to harm Islam and give the false impression that it is a religion that feeds terrorism when in fact Islam is a religion of peace.
Terrorism constitutes a serious threat to the world and should be explained by socio-economic factors such as unemployment, poverty and other root causes of marginalization and exclusion, particularly with young people they argued.
