Speaking at the meeting of religious leaders of Europe in Brussels on Tuesday 16 June, Mr. Khalid Hajji, President of the European Council of Moroccan ulemas, explained the fear of Islam in the European Community and suggested some tracks of reflection in order to limit its extension.
“I think in a certain aspect, the fear of Islam could be legitimate: European Muslims have strange costumes and very different lifestyles of others in their community. But when the fear becomes an industry, this requires a common response to liberate the European space of radicalism, “he said.
According to Khalid Hajji, the use of the “radical” word is not adequate because it denotes a return to roots, while these so -called radicals do not return to their roots in their actions but are looking for an ideal, a pure space and have no regard for the traditions, even when these traditions refer to the family or religion, they do not identify with it. When they are asked the question “Are you French? Moroccan? “They reply,” No, no, I am a Muslim. “
What does being a Muslim imply? According to them, it implies something vague and abstract, which requires violence to be applied, said Mr. Hajji.
Therefore, the specialist recommends a formula, a compromise to fight against radicalism, “we cannot resort to political radicalism in the fight against religious radicalism, it would be the equivalent of adding fire to fire. We should be wise enough to find a reasonable solution to the forms of radicalism we are witnessing in Europe today. This should go through strengthening the values of the living together, working together. “
On the issue of free movement of ideas and books on Islam in the Mediterranean, Khalid Hajji thinks that extending the discussions on Islam in North Africa for example can be beneficial but is of some difficulty.
“The contexts are very different from one space to another, in the Islamic world, civilization is linked to religion, which is not the case in the European area,” said Khalid Hajji, adding that “to work together we need to take into account these differences. “
