Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 24/11/2012
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is hosting a two-day workshop starting today, Saturday, 24 November 2012, on Islamic and European Perspectives on Freedom of Expression and Human Rights under the title ‘Bridging Cultures Forum’. The Forum is organized in collaboration with the German Consulate General in Jeddah and Al-Makkiyah Al-Madaniyah Institute. It is an initiative of the collaborating partners to further the intellectual exchange between Europe and the Middle East. Scholars from both regions are invited to identify common ties and to explore the richness and diversity of their intellectual history. Ambassador Vefahan Ocak, Director General of Cabinet at OIC and Chief Advisor to the OIC Secretary General, opened the Forum on behalf of the Secretary General. In his opening remarks, Amb. Ocak said that the purpose of the Forum is to bring together scholars and thinkers from the Muslim world and the West to engage in dialogue and exchange ideas on issues of contemporary relevance in order to better understand each other and the world in which we live. The Forum will address issues of mutual concern such as Islamophobia, peaceful coexistence among religions, and promoting tolerance. Then, Ambassador Dieter W. Haller, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, gave his opening remarks in which he said that today there is more focus on what divides us rather than what unites us. He said that addressing this issue is very important at this time, and coincidentally the Forum is taking place only two days before the opening of the King Abdullah Center for Interfaith Dialogue in Vienna. The topics of the two-day Forum are ‘Examining the issues of Faith and Freedom of expression across Faith Traditions’, ‘A comparative perspective on European and Saudi Arabia Perceptions of Human Rights and Freedom of Expression’, ‘The Concept of Justice as Defined in European and Islamic Thought’, ‘Principles of Human Rights and maqasid ash-sharia: Sharing Common Ground’, and ‘Negotiating Islamic and European Human Rights Perspectives’.
