The Third Meeting of the Heads of Islamic Associations and
Cultural Centres in Latin America and the Caribbean Islands

From ISESCO website
http://www.isesco.org.ma/

Rabat: 18/9/2003 / 212

Praising the efforts extended by ISESCO The Heads of Islamic Associations and Cultural Centres in Latin America Call for Redressing the Image of Islam in the Region.

The Third Meeting of the Heads of Islamic Associations and Cultural Centres in Latin America and the Caribbean Islands held its closing session yesterday in Curaçao Island.

The participants in the meeting, representing thirty-five cultural centres and Islamic associations, have called for proceeding with the energization of the Strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West, with an emphasis on implementing the executive plan. Priority has been given to the activities aiming at redressing the image of Islam and Muslims in Latin American societies and media, enhancing the values of dialogue with local cultures and peaceful coexistence, and at integration with these societies while remaining in keeping with their respective laws and regulations, and adhering at the same time to the Islamic cultural identity.

They also stressed the importance of the cultural centres and Islamic associations’ participation in the cultural events that are organized by civil society organizations in Latin America, so as to expound the Islamic perspective regarding the relevant fields.

The participants appealed as well for the organization of open cultural days with a view to strengthening relations between Muslims in Latin America and their local environment, as part of the regular activities organized by their centres and associations.

They also noted that the Muslims residing in Latin American countries are not minorities. Rather, they are full-fledged citizens, hence the rights and obligations applying to them, such as the right to perform religious rituals in keeping with the principles of moderation and objectivity, away from any form of violence and extremism that are incongruent with the magnanimous Islamic teachings advocating coexistence between peoples and religions.

Likewise, the attendees have requested the energization of coordination and consultation between cultural centres and Islamic associations in Latin America, with a view to finding appropriate solutions to the educational problems posed to the children of Muslims in the region, in coordination with the competent local authorities.

Also, they have highlighted the importance of attending to Muslim potentialities in Latin America and deriving benefit from their expertise and experiences in drawing up and implementing sustainable development programmes in the Islamic world.

The meeting has adopted the strategy for benefiting from Muslim potentialities in the West, along with its execution plan, and expressed its gratitude to ISESCO for the efforts it has extended in its preparation.

Engineer Yusuf Hajar, in cooperation with the heads and directors of Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America, has been entrusted with designing a guide to Muslim potentialities in Latin America.

ISESCO has called, on its part, for preparing the Spanish translation of the strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West, along with its execution plan, as well as the strategy for benefiting from Muslim potentialities in the West, along with its execution plan. It has also called for making them available to all Islamic associations and cultural centres in the region.

The meeting has endorsed the cultural projects submitted by the heads of Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin American countries, while the high council of education and culture in the West has called for examining these projects in its fifth meeting, due to be held in Madrid in 2004.

It has also urged the heads and directors of the Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America to prepare cultural projects and programmes of action based on what has been reported in the execution plan of the strategy of Islamic cultural action in the West, energize cultural dialogue with official and popular institutions in Latin America, and to redress the image of Islam and Muslims in the various media of the region.

ISESCO has called as well for the convening of the First Conference of the Heads and Directors of the Islamic Associations and Cultural Centers in Latin America during 2004, for the conducting of a training session for the benefit of Imams and preachers in Latin America, to instruct them in religious sciences, communication techniques and public relations. It has appealed for the preparation of a guide to these centres and associations, as well as supplying ISESCO and the Islamic Organization in Latin America with the necessary information relevant thereto.

The participants in the meeting, which was convened at the invitation of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -ISESCO-, have called for uniting into a federation, a high council or a similar structure, in order to establish relations of institutional cooperation with the local authorities. They have called as well for participating in international and continental conferences, and for stepping up their participation in formal and informal regional symposia concerned with laying down charters pertaining to human rights as well as the rights of women and minorities, and to all matters relevant to the Muslims’ situation in Latin America. The aim being to present Islam’s stance as regards these issues and to call upon the said bodies to pay attention to the educational, social and family aspects of Muslims in Latin America.

They have finally appealed to ISESCO for supporting cultural and entertaining camps in countries of the Islamic world for the benefit of Muslims’ children in Latin America, in contribution to the enhancement of their religious and civilizational belonging.

Latin American Muslim Leaders to Meet

http://www.isesco.org.ma/

Rabat: 15/9/2003 / 207

At the invitation of ISESCO The Heads of Islamic Associations and Cultural Centres will hold their Third Meeting in Latin America in Curaçao.

The Heads of Islamic Associations and Cultural Centres in Latin American countries will hold their third meeting in Curaçao Island in the Netherlands Antilles (the Caribbean Islands), over the period 16-18 September, at the invitation and under the supervision of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -ISESCO.

The meeting will be convened as part of the implementation of the Strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West, prepared by ISESCO and endorsed by the Islamic Summit Conference.

The meeting aims at fostering the values of civilizational belonging among Muslims in Latin America, developing the methods of cultural and educational Islamic action for the benefit of Muslim communities, developing expertise and experiences among the heads of Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America, implementing the fields of action of the Strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West, and exposing leading experiments in the field of promoting Islamic cultural action in Latin America.

During the meeting, a study on « the Islamic cultural landscape in the West and international changes »will be discussed. Participants will assess the achievements of Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America during 2002 and 2003, and will determine the fields of the programmes of action of Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America in 2004, as part of the Strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West.

Also will be discussed in the meeting the image of Islam in the media in Latin America, along with the efforts being extended to redress it, as well as the educational problems and needs of Muslims’ offspring in Latin America.

The meeting will be attended by representatives for thirty-five Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America, namely the Bolivian Islamic Centre, the Sao Paulo-based Centre of Islamic Call in Latin America (Brazil), the Islamic Charitable Association in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Association of Islamic Union in Chili, the Islamic Cultural Centre in Costa Rica, the Islamic Venezuelan Congregation in Margaret Island (Venezuela), the Mosque of Cheikh Ibrahim Labrahim in Caracas (Venezuela), the Islamic Centre in Ecuador, the Arab Salvadorian Islamic Centre, the Mosque of Islamic Call in Guatemala, the Islamic Cultural Centre in Mexico, the Islamic Charitable Cultural Centre in Paraguay, the Islamic Association in Lima (Peru), the Centre for Dissemination of Islamic Culture in Uruguay, the Islamic Call in Honduras, the Islamic Centre in San Andreas (Colombia), the Arab-Islamic Association in Mendoza (Argentina), the Arab-Islamic Association in Cordoba (Argentina), the Buenos Aires-based Islamic Centre for Argentina (Argentina), the Buenos Aires-based Centre of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (Argentina), the Islamic Centre in Guyana, the Islamic Centre in Buen Aire, the Islamic Centre in Belize, the Islamic Centre in Puerto Rico, the Islamic Foundation in Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago), the Islamic Centre in Barbados, the Islamic Cultural Centre in Panama, the Islamic Centre in Surinam, the Islamic Centre in Santo Domingo (the Dominican Republic), the Islamic Centre in Micao (Colombia), the Association of the Bilal Mosque in Iquique (Chili), the Southern Islamic Centre in El Tigre (Venezuela), the Arab Cultural Centre in Cuba, and the General Secretariat of the Islamic Organization for Latin America (Argentina).

It is to be noted that the first two meetings of the heads of Islamic associations and cultural centres in Latin America were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Among the recommendations of the second meeting, held in May 2002, was the call for convening the third meeting in the Curaçao Island in the Netherlands Antilles (Caribbean Islands).

Latin American Muslims Discuss Image In Media

From www.Islam-Online.net

http://www.islam-online.net/

RABAT, September 16 (Islamonline.net) – The heads of the Islamic associations and cultural centers in Latin American countries are meeting in Curaçao Island in the Netherlands Antilles (the Caribbean Islands) on September 16-18 under the auspices of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The three-day meeting is part of relentless efforts to implementing a ISESCO strategy for Islamic cultural action in the West, which had been endorsed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

It also aims at fostering the values of civilizational belonging among Muslims in Latin America, advancing methods of cultural and educational Islamic action for the benefit of Muslim communities, as well as sharing experiences among heads of Islamic organizations in Latin America.

The Muslims leaders will review the image of Islam in Latin American media, along with efforts being extended to redress it, as well as the educational problems and needs of Muslims’ offspring in Latin America, according to information published on ISESCO website.

They will discuss study on the Islamic cultural landscape in the West and international changes.

Beside assisting achievements over the past year, the chiefs of Islamic associations and cultural centers in Latin American will determine fields of future action.

The meeting will be attended by representatives for thirty-five Islamic associations and cultural centers in Latin America.

The two previous meetings were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ISESCO was set up upon the adoption of its statute by OIC foreign ministers during their 11th conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, in May 1980.

This decision crowned the OIC efforts to establish an international organization specialized in the fields of education, science and culture.

The third OIC summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia in January 1981, decided to set up the ISESCO, whose founding conference was then held in Morocco in May 1982.

The main objectives of ISESCO are to develop applied sciences and use advanced technology; contribute to the achievement of world peace and security; seek to achieve coordination among the OIC specialized institutions; make Islamic culture the basis of educational curricula at all levels; protect the independence of Islamic thought against cultural invasion and distortion factors, and safeguard the features and distinct characteristics of the Islamic civilization; and safeguard the Islamic identity of Muslims in non-Islamic countries.

Related links:
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
http://www.oic-oci.org
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO)
http://www.isesco.org.ma