Thursday, October 30, 2003
Interfaith Talks to Fight Terror
Rome, Oct. 30--(AP) Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders met with top European officials Thursday to explore how inter-religious dialogue can help combat terrorism and tensions over immigration while promoting peace.
The one-day gathering came as Italy, France, Germany and other Western European nations have been grappling with the impact on their societies of waves of immigrants of different religions and races.
"Jews, Christians and Muslims have for millennia intertwined their histories in the Mediterranean area," Italy's interior minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, said in opening remarks. "It is necessary that they move on on the path of the fruitful coexistence of cultures ... so that religious diversity becomes a common wealth," he added.
Pisanu, whose country holds the European Union's presidency, said Western societies need to do more to integrate immigrants, arguing that if they are marginalized and exposed to fundamentalist preaching, they might turn toward terrorism. He also repeated calls for his European counterparts to adopt common immigration policies and said aid to developing countries is essential if the West wants to eradicate the roots of terrorism. Pisanu, who repeated calls to his European counterparts to adopt common immigration policies, called "dialogue ... the most effective instrument to avert fundamentalism and build peace."
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