VIENNA,
April 25, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – More than 160 Austrian imams and
scholars wrapped up Sunday, April 24, their first conference in Vienna
with a call to clearly distinguish between Islam and hoary-old
traditions wrongly associated with the Muslim faith.
The
final declaration, which was read by female activist Amina Baghajati,
the media officer of the Islamic Religious Authority, underlined that
repugnant acts like domestic violence, honor killings and forced
marriages have nothing to do with Islamic tents.
“Islam
roundly rejects the oppression of women and preserves their rights,”
said the declaration, a copy of which was seen by IslamOnline.net.
Women
from every stratum of the Muslim minority, including house wives,
teachers and social workers, made up no less than 25 percent of the
conference participants.
The
imams strongly condemned associating Islam with terrorism as
propagated by western media.
“Islam
is a religion of peace and life,” said the communiqué.
They
called on Muslim organizations in Austria to publish brochures and
booklets, in German, on how Islam sees women and human rights.
More
Integration
The
religious leaders further encouraged the Muslim minority to prove to
be part and parcel of their Austrian society.
Addressing
the government, the imams asserted that law-abiding Austrian Muslims
cherish the country’s Constitution and the values of democracy and
human rights.
They
stressed that Muslim citizens in the south-central European country
consider Austria’s national security as part of their own security.
The
imams hailed Austria as a European model for protecting the rights of
the Muslim minority, already enjoying an atmosphere of freedom seldom
found in any other European country.
Islam,
which was officially recognized in Austria in 1908, is considered the
second religion in the country after Catholic Christianity.
A
law issued in 1867, which guaranteed respect for all religions, gave
Muslims the right to establish mosques and practice their religion in
Austria.
Muslim
rights were also enhanced by the signing of the Saint-Germain
agreement in 1919, in which the Austrian government pledged protection
for minorities and affirmed the right of each citizen to assume
important national posts regardless of his/her religious or ethnic
backgrounds.
Muslims,
estimated at nearly half a million, make up some 6 per cent of the
country’s eight-million population.
There
are 76 mosques and prayer rooms across the country, including 53 in
Vienna alone, according to recent estimates.
