Scholar calls for international Islamic university to combat extremism

From left: Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Khaled Al Nahyan, Chairman of Al Ain Club Football Company, Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs (ZHO), and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member, attend a lecture by Dr Muhammad Al Bishari, Secretary General of the European Islamic Conference. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Muhammad Al Bishari, Secretary General of the European Islamic Conference, centre left, presents a lecture at the majlis. With him is the moderator, Faisal Bin Huraiz. Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

From left: Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Dr Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council, Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mu'alla, Deputy Ruler of UAQ, Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed, Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, at a lecture. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Guests attend a lecture by Dr Muhammad Al Bishari, Secretary General of the European Islamic Conference. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, attends a lecture by Dr Muhammad Al Bishari. Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI // An international Islamic university is needed for Muslims from countries where they are a minority, because about half of ISIL fighters come from this minority, a prominent religious scholar said on Monday.

Such an institution would focus on educating Muslims outside of the Islamic world, said Dr Muhammad Al Bishari, secretary general of the European Islamic Conference.

He was speaking about citizenship challenges for Muslims in Europe during the Ramadan majlis of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

The aim would be “to spread a balanced Islamic knowledge and enough of the widespread terminologies that call for moderation of Islam”, he said, based on “the Islam of our fathers that civilised the world”.

About 50 per cent of ISIL’s armed forces are from minority-Muslim countries, including 6,000 from Russia, while others are from India and other non-Muslim countries.

“These minorities are a target for such groups,” Dr Al Bishari said. “Our responsibility is to work on establishing an Islamic knowledge platform for minorities that boosts their citizenship in their societies.”

More than 12,000 young Muslims in Europe have joined ISIL. Twenty-five per cent of them are new converts and 20 per cent are women and girls aged 16 to 20.

Dr Al Bishari said that extremist groups’ propaganda on social media attracted young people, not discriminatory European governments. While many believe Muslims in Europe face discrimination because of Islamophobia, many Muslims have also reached top positions in European governments and parliaments.

“So thousands of our sons have reached decision-making posts, and they have no issues fasting and praying,” Dr Al Bishari said. “So where is the contradiction? Some parties want to create a state of clashing.”

European Union laws treat Muslims as equal citizens, Dr Al Bishari said. In 2010, European officials issued a decision emphasising that Muslims were part of European societies.

Islam was recognised as an official religion in Europe in the 21st century, including Austria in 1912, Belgium in 1974 and Spain in 1992.

“These countries protect rights of minorities,” Dr Al Bishari said.

Legislation and fiqh (understanding of Islamic law) should be dedicated to the 500 million Muslims who live in minority communities around the world.

“We have to invest in education because the youth are being recruited in a smart way by ISIL and others,” he said.

These groups release more than 90,000 messages a day in 12 languages on Twitter alone, not to mention hundreds of hours of content on YouTube and messages on other social media platforms spreading a culture of violence, Dr Al Bishari said.

“So we want to give the youth the culture of hope and life,” he said. “I always follow the initiatives carried out by the UAE, and I salute it for being a proactive leader in issuing its anti-discrimination law.”

The lecture was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and officials and dignarities.