BRUSSELS (EJP)—Under the framework of the second annual General Assembly of the European Jewish Parliament, on Monday in Brussels, a special session will feature Jewish life in Azerbaijan as an example for Europe of a successful Jewish-Muslim coexistence and as an answer to growing anti-Semitism on the Continent.
During the session, participants will discuss how the Azerbaijani model of religious tolerance is applicable for other parts of the world, too.
‘’Unlike many other countries in the world, there is no discrimination, no social hostility and no organized manifestation of anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan,’’ stresses Willy Fautré, Chairman of Human Rights Without Frontiers(HRWF), a Brussels-based NGO which led a fact finding mission that visited Azerbaijan, a country in the Caucasus where about 10,000 Jews live today within a majority population of Shi’a and Sunni Muslims (96%).
‘’Anti-Semitism is non-existent in Azerbaijan,’’ says Moisey Bekker, a representative of the religious community of Georgian Jews in the country.
During Monday’s panel session, Under chairmanship of Italian MEP Fiorello Provera, who is Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Jewish life in a predominantly Muslim environment will be presented in a special programme by the Jewish News 1 (JN1) tv channel.
Guest speakers at the session will include Azay Guliyev, a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Michael Peters, President and CEO of Euronews.
Alexander Zanzer, member of the European Jewish Parliament where he co-chairs the intercultural committee, will highlight the results of a very worrying recent survey by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) among 6,000 Jews in eight EU countries showing that anti-Semitism is on the rise. Three out of four respondents, (76%) thought the situation was getting worse and that anti-Semitism had increased over the past five years.
Three out of four respondents, 76%, thought the situation was getting worse and that anti-Semitism had increased over the past five years. Particularly alarming in the survey is the fact that 38 % of the respondents said they avoid displaying symbols identifying them as Jews in public.
Based in Brussels, the European Jewish Parliament is a body composed of 120 elected members from 47 countries across Europe.
Initiated by the European Jewish Union (EJU) and co-chaired by Vadim Rabinovich and Joël Rubinfeld,, it considers itself as ‘’an innovative forum voicing the thoughts, beliefs and ideas as well as concerns of European Jews.’’
Among the topics that will also be discussed during the plenary session of the General Assembly chaired by Polish MEP Michal Kaminiski are the need to promote further the 2004 EUMC Working Definition of Anti-Semitism within the various EU bodies as a legal tool to fight anti-Semitism.
The European Jewish Parliament (EJP) will also formally adopt its Constitution which states that ‘’it is established in order to protect the rights of the Jewish people and ensure a competent representation in the global community.’’
‘’The goal of the EJP is to unify the efforts of the Jewish community in order to promote and protect the life of Jews in Europe,’’ the text reads.
‘’EJP advocates for a prosperous life of the Jews of Europe, based on their active participation in all European social and public processes,’’ it adds.
| Justyna Laskowski contributed to this news. |
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