Wiesenthal Centre to Danish Foreign Minister: "Copenhagen Conference on Religious Dialogue is Religious Discrimination"

February 23, 2006

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Wiesenthal Centre to Danish Foreign Minister: "Copenhagen Conference on Religious Dialogue is Religious Discrimination"

Paris

In a letter to Danish Foreign Minister, Per Stig Moeller, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr Shimon Samuels, commended his announcement that Denmark is to host "a conference on religious dialogue" in Copenhagen on 10 March 2006.

Samuels noted, "We understand that this conference is organized in the aftermath of the violent reactions in several Muslim countries to the cartoons on the Prophet Mohammed in the Danish press."

He added, "For years, our Centre has protested against violently antisemitic cartoons inciting to hatred of Jews, also in the Danish media, but never elicited such a worthy response," pointing out, "on the other hand, we were gratified that our appeal to your Government to close Copenhagen's Radio Holger, for its call to murder Muslims, resulted in the suspension of its broadcasts."

The Centre thus expressed shock that this "conference is inviting only Muslim and Christian speakers 'to promote respectful dialogue... drawing an advice given by Muslim countries.'"

Samuels recalled that Danish Prime Minister, Fogh Rasmussen, has condemned "attempts to demonize religious groups," a universalist position that would be contradicted by a conference on religious dialogue that excludes other world religions.

The letter additionally noted, "Your government is also to host an Islamic festival
in Copenhagen in August and will be giving 'a significant financial contribution to a United Nations programme to resolve cultural and religious differences with the Islamic world.'"

The Centre asked, "Does Denmark plans to announce matching these gestures for other faith communities?" and suggested, "You begin by involving 'the Hindu and Jewish countries,' India and Israel respectively, throughout this process."

"An exclusionary 'Conference on religious dialogue' on 10 March will be nothing less than an act of religious discrimination," concluded Samuels.

For further information, please contact Shimon Samuels at +33 6 09 77 01 58.