Al-Marayati Explores Religious Freedom & Free Speech in Europe
January 28, 2010
Last week, Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati traveled to Europe at the invitation of the State Department to speak about religious freedom and free speech. He spoke at UNESCO in Paris and at the U.S. mission to the United Nations in Geneva.
Al-Marayati explained that religious freedom and free speech are opposite sides of the same coin of human rights. Given the alarming degree of Islamophobia in Europe, some Muslim countries have sought to pass anti-defamation legislation to counter anti-Islamic rhetoric.
In Geneva, Al-Marayati told a group of Muslim ambassadors that legislation will not resolve the problem of Islamophobia, but rather, engagement in the political, social and cultural arenas of any society.
The Quran chronicles attacks against the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) without suppressing free speech. Instead, the good work of the early Muslims replaced the negative stereotypes that others imposed on them.
The same applies in this day and age. Many of the ambassadors were thankful for Al-Marayati's perspective on this issue and for working to bridge the divide between Muslim and Western countries.
IN THIS SECTION
RELATED STORIES
-
Supreme Court to Hear Holt v. Hobbs Religious Freedom Case
October 7, 2014 -
Working to Protect Travelers on Hajj
October 5, 2014 -
When Freedom of Speech and Religious Freedom Collide
October 5, 2014
RELATED MULTIMEDIA
-
Al-Marayati on 'Ground Zero Mosque'
August 26, 2010 -
Park 51 Interview on CNN
August 20, 2010 -
Edina Lekovic Talks About Ramadan on "Good Day LA"
August 11, 2010 -
Edina Lekovic on Fox- Ground Zero and Burka Ban
July 19, 2010
one-time or monthly donation.