DANISH DIALOGUE INITIATIVES WITH THE MUSLIM WORLD

Bilateral initiatives

• In 2003 the Danish Government launched the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme. It is an ambitious policy initiative, aimed at establishing a basis for improved dialogue, un-derstanding and collaboration between Denmark and the Arab world. Bilateral partner-ships have been signed between Denmark and the governments of Yemen, Jordan and Morocco. These programmes includes a wide range of dialogue initiatives between pro-fessional institutions in Denmark and the partnership countries. Moreover, regional thematic programmes on media, co-production of films, labour market, youth, women, human rights and cultural exchange are being implemented in cooperation between Danish and Arab civil society organizations. All activities are based on equal partnerships. More than 50 Danish organizations and institutions are working in partnership with an even larger number of Arab partners.

• In 2004 a Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Institute was established within the Al Ahram Cen-tre for Political and Strategic Studies. The institute has an Egyptian-Danish board of di-rectors and has taken initiative to a vast number of dialogue initiatives between Danes and Egyptians as well as other Arab nationalities.[To mention an example an Arab Da-nish Democracy Academy was organized in September 2007 at Vallekilde Folk school with participation by 10 young Danes, 10 young people from the Arab world and 10 young Danes with Arab background. They met to discuss democracy, human rights, peace, and development.

• New Danish embassies were opened in 2007 in Lebanon, Jordan and Morocco

• The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs is meeting the world famous Sengalese singer, Youssou N’Dour on March 19, 2008 in a public dialogue focusing on religion and cul-ture across cultures. The aim is to create better understanding for different cultures and to avoid conflict and radicalization.

Multilateral initiatives

• Support to the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations Trust Fund through a contribution of 200.000 USD. The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs took part in the meeting of the Group of Friends at ministerial level in New York on September 26, 2007 and in the First Forum of The Alliance of Civilizations in Madrid on January 15, 2008

• Support and host follow up to the Rabat Commitment in the form of a conference in Copenhagen in October 2008 in order to provide tangible inputs to UNESCO’s Dia-logue between Cultures and Civilizations and promote synergy with the Alliance of Civi-lizations.

• Denmark is actively taking part in the ASEM Interfaith Dialogue process. This includes expert participation and financial support. In 2009 the ASEM Interfaith Dialogue is ex-pected to be held in Pakistan, where Denmark also expects to contribute. The ASEM Interfaith Dialogue aims at promoting mutual understanding and respect between cul-tures and religions.

• Support the strengthening of dialogue activities within the Euro-Med Partnership and the Anna Lindh Foundation, i.a. participation in workshop on guidelines and code of conduct for the press

• International expert conference held in Copenhagen on May 16-18 2006 stereotypes in the Muslim and Western world.


Non-governmental initiatives
(with financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

• Iraqi Reconciliation Conference in Denmark organized in cooperation with Danish churches, February 2008

• Visit of Iraqi Reconciliation Delegation to Denmark organized by Danish churches. The delegation visited mosques in Denmark, an Islamic Culture Centre and had meetings with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Members of the Danish Parliament, August 2007

• Support to religious dialogue between young Christians and Muslims aged between be-tween 25 and 35 years old from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Denmark with a view to educate and strengthen young people’s participation in democratic and conflict solving processes in their local area in the Middle East, September 2007

• 110 youth politicians from Denmark and the Middle East with different religious and political backgrounds met in Istanbul to discuss young people’s participation in decision making processes in February 2007. The seminar was organized by the Danish Youth Council.

• Documentary films from the Middle East shown at CPH:DOX Copenhagen Documen-tary film festival, November 2007

• Financial support to a roundtable conference on the theme The Changing Faces of Reli-gion”, in Accra, Ghana, on January, 22- 23 2007. The conference was organized by The Historical Society of Ghana

• Since 2005 support to 5 religious organizations/networks on the Kenyan coast with the overall objective to promote intercultural and religious understanding including address-ing social-economic and political problems leading to conflicts. The organizations have been instrumental in limiting inter-faith disagreements, religious extremism and margina-lization

• Support of 1.35 million DKK is provided to the publishing of a monthly newspaper “Is-lamic Focus” prepared by the University of Pretoria (Center for International Political Studies) to be distributed in hard copies and electronic version free of charge to the Muslim communities in South Africa. The newspaper contributes to a constructive debate within the South African muslim community on a range of issues; gender and Islam, Jihad and Islam, media freedom in Islam, economic globalisation and Islam etc.

• Support to Cross Religious Directions (CRD) – a network between Danish scouts (FDF) and youth NGOs in Romania, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia with a special interest in working for religious tolerance. CRD aims at lowering prejudice and increase tolerance towards and among religious denominations through wider religious understanding. Symposium on ”Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Youth Work” was held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 27 to 31 March 2007

• Financial support to the radio station of the Hamza Institute (muslim institute) in Mo-zambique

• Seminar on inter-religious dialogue in Cairo, April 2006 (Danish church delegation).

• Co-existence of Civilizations, since spring 2006. Protector: HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan (organized by Danish News Agency “Monday Morning”).

• Islam Expo, June 2006 (Danish Center for Culture and Development)

• Danish delegation to Syria on June 12-15, 2006 under the theme: ”Pluralism and Co-existence in Modern Societies”

• Images of the Middle East Festival, August-September 2006 (Danish Center for Culture and Development)

Moreover, a wide variety of private initiatives aimed at improving relations with the Muslim world are being implemented in Denmark.