World Bulletin / News Desk

The conference "Beyond religious differences: Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination based on religion or belief: consequences for young people and youth work responses" was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 5 to 8 November 2008 in the spirit of consolidating the results of the "All Different – All Equal" European youth campaign, including the Istanbul Youth Declaration.

The conference was co-organised by the Council of Europe's Directorate of Youth and Sport, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan and in co-operation with the European Youth Forum and the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Development and Cooperation; it brought together over 100 participants from 42 countries.

The conference aimed at responding to islamophobia, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination based on religion or belief, through youth work. It strengthened and consolidated the work undertaken in this field by its co-organisers and partners.

The promotion of dialogue and understanding is by all means the key condition for the achievement of peace, security, development and prosperity of our societies. Inter-religious dialogue constitutes one of the main aspects of dialogue among cultures and civilisations and play an important role in consolidating the common values of respect, dignity and freedom, says forum.

Experts in conference recalled that combating religious discrimination and prejudice concerns everyone and is necessary in all societies. Young people and youth organisations are particularly concerned because they can be effective actors and promoters of change.

Based on the inputs of experts and the discussions in working groups, the conference stressed that islamophobia and all other forms of discrimination and prejudice must be combated and that universal human rights must be defended and promoted for all human beings, without discrimination on any grounds.

The conference recalled that "Islamophobia must not be the concern of Muslims alone as it has negative effects on all children and young people, men and women alike, and the whole of society. Islamophobia is a violation of human rights and a threat to social cohesion. Young people and youth organisations have an important role to play in preventing Islamophobia and raising awareness about the negative impact of prejudice and discrimination."

The conference also said promoting tolerance and respect for diversity, in the spirit of intercultural dialogue, implies unconditional commitment to human rights as a framework for dialogue. According to young people and youth organisations have an irreplaceable role to play in this process, notably through youth work activities that incorporate human rights education and intercultural learning.

Human rights education and intercultural learning provide the framework for values and educational approaches that address prejudice and discrimination in its multiple expressions, including islamophobia, antisemitism, christianophobia and any other form of discrimination based on religion or belief (or associated to them), and must be promoted as a safeguard for democracy and equality and a protection against extremism, said experts.

The conference agreed on the necessity to encourage follow-up projects by youth organisations – in the framework of this Baku Youth Initiative – aimed at promoting intercultural understanding as well as raising awareness on relevant issues in this field. Such projects should be based on the conclusions and outcomes of this conference, namely those elaborated by its working groups and outlined below. Those projects should reflect, in particular, the major policy documents of the partner organizations of the conference.

One of the projects of the conference is about the revival of interest in religious practices in the world and how this may breed suspicion and fear among authorities and the public in general.

Explaining a part of the project, the conference says, it aims to create formal mechanisms which will include experts from various religions (including Christianity, Islam and Judaism) such as scholars, youth leaders and civil society leaders to explore contemporary issues connected to religion and democracy and share understandings and practices of religious and democratic values such as pluralism, religious tolerance, rule of law, respect for human rights, participation in elections (especially among youth) and youth participation in intercultural dialogue.

It also aims to increase opportunities for partnerships between formal and informal religious groups and address issues of mutual concern.

The other subjects that the conference focued on are "religion and gender equality", "freedom of expression and freedom of religion", "prejudice and stereotypes: media and education", "co-existence and living together, community building and migration".

The conference emphasized that family law issues should be regulated by the law of the particular state in respect of human rights. Religious ceremonies (such as weddings or funerals) should be legally recognised by the state.

Citizens have the right to observe their religious traditions, including the possibility to not work on important religious days and festivities. Youth organisations should help state authorities in finding reasonable ways of accommodating these needs, especially in the course of employment and education, said the conference.