{"id":89196,"date":"2024-11-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/2024\/11\/24\/al-qaradaghi-at-the-35th-session-of-the-european-council-for-fatwa-muslim-minorities-face-existential-threats-unity-is-key-to-preserving-identity\/"},"modified":"2024-11-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-24T00:00:00","slug":"al-qaradaghi-at-the-35th-session-of-the-european-council-for-fatwa-muslim-minorities-face-existential-threats-unity-is-key-to-preserving-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/2024\/11\/24\/al-qaradaghi-at-the-35th-session-of-the-european-council-for-fatwa-muslim-minorities-face-existential-threats-unity-is-key-to-preserving-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Al-Qaradaghi at the 35th Session of the European Council for Fatwa: &#8220;Muslim Minorities Face Existential Threats&#8230; Unity is Key to Preserving Identity&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Al-Qaradaghi at the 35th Session of the European Council for Fatwa: &#8220;Muslim Minorities Face Existential Threats&#8230; Unity is Key to Preserving Identity&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The European Council for Fatwa and Research held its 35th session in Konya, Turkey, from November 16\u201320, 2024, under the theme <em>&#8220;The Jurisprudence of Preserving Faith and Religious Practice.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This session aligns with the Council&#8217;s overarching goals, primarily safeguarding the faith and practices of Muslims in Europe through its resolutions and recommendations that have guided Muslim communities in the West since its inception.<\/p>\n<h3>Dr. Ali Al-Qaradaghi\u2019s Address<\/h3>\n<p>The session featured a powerful address by Dr. Ali Al-Qaradaghi, Secretary-General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. He highlighted the current challenges facing the Muslim Ummah globally and Muslim minorities in Europe specifically.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>&#8220;A World Without Moral Order or International Justice&#8221;<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Dr. Al-Qaradaghi began his speech by acknowledging the dire circumstances under which the session was convened, especially as the Muslim world witnesses a ferocious assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>He described the situation as a criminal, racist campaign aimed at eradicating the Palestinian population and displacing them forcibly, orchestrated by an extremist government without international or regional deterrents.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Al-Qaradaghi lamented the deteriorating state of global governance, emphasizing the absence of moral and legal frameworks to protect the oppressed amidst the collapse of foundational institutions such as UNRWA.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Challenges Facing Muslim Minorities in Europe<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Shifting his focus, Dr. Al-Qaradaghi outlined the mounting challenges faced by Muslim minorities in Europe, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increasing restrictions and discriminatory policies.<\/li>\n<li>Forced assimilation of values that contradict Islamic principles.<\/li>\n<li>Erosion of freedoms, especially regarding open discussions about Israel and Palestine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>He warned of the existential risks posed to the younger generation\u2019s Islamic identity under these pressures.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>Strategic Proposals for Addressing Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Dr. Al-Qaradaghi presented a two-pronged strategy to address these pressing issues:<\/p>\n<h4><strong>1. Supporting Muslim Minorities:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Strengthening Faith and Spiritual Education<\/strong>: Promoting religious values to fortify Muslim identity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Connecting with Imams and Scholars<\/strong>: Facilitating conferences and direct visits to foster collaboration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unified Community Projects<\/strong>: Creating collective initiatives under the Council&#8217;s guidance, in partnership with the International Union of Muslim Scholars.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Media Engagement<\/strong>: Leveraging media to project a positive image of Islam and combat stereotypes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Economic Empowerment<\/strong>: Establishing businesses and Islamic financial institutions to bolster the community&#8217;s economic strength.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Youth Development<\/strong>: Encouraging Muslim youth to pursue fields like law and politics to enhance representation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>2. Building Bridges with Governments and Institutions:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Engaging Political Parties and Churches<\/strong>: Promoting mutual understanding through dialogue.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Islam Awareness Campaigns<\/strong>: Developing materials showcasing Islam&#8217;s contributions to society.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Targeted Dialogues<\/strong>: Engaging influential thinkers to share Islam\u2019s humanistic message.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Highlighting Core Values<\/strong>: Advocating for universal Islamic values, particularly the preservation of human nature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>A Call for Collective Action<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Dr. Al-Qaradaghi stressed the need for collaboration between leading Islamic institutions, such as the European Council for Fatwa and the International Union of Muslim Scholars. He also urged Muslim-majority countries and indigenous Muslim communities in Europe, like those in Bosnia and Albania, to participate in addressing these issues.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Collective Responsibility<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>In closing, Dr. Al-Qaradaghi emphasized the urgency of united efforts to confront these challenges, expressing gratitude to the European Council for selecting a theme so relevant to current realities.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>A Unified Message of Hope<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Dr. Al-Qaradaghi\u2019s speech underscored the vital role of Islamic scholars and institutions in supporting Muslim minorities and amplifying their voices. His call for solidarity among Muslims worldwide resonated as a clarion call to uphold justice, preserve identity, and defend human dignity across the globe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <em>International Union of Muslim Scholars<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Al-Qaradaghi at the 35th Session of the European Council for Fatwa: &#8220;Muslim Minorities Face Existential Threats&#8230; Unity is Key to Preserving Identity&#8221;The European Council for Fatwa and Research held its&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":89371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[420],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-union-activities-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}