Muslims hunt for new 'theology of integration'

That's what Muslim leaders from across Europe described Saturday as part of broad visions that touched on everything from Islamic law to lesson plans for school children — all aimed at forging a clear European Muslim identity that retains traditions but does not clash with Western values.

Some speakers even gave it a name: the "theology of integration."

But in quieter tones at a conference on Islam's future in Europe, there was agreement that any significant changes are still a long way off for Europe's 33 million Muslims at a time when the pressure for reform is mounting.

One of the main reasons, experts and scholars said, is the current realities of Islam itself.

The Quran has many passages about tolerance toward non-Muslims amid Islamic settings. But there is almost nothing in Islamic codes or religious texts dealing specifically with issues facing Muslims living as minorities in different cultures, said many at the conference.

This puts Europe's moderate Islamic leaders in the challenging role of creating a body of reference for diaspora Muslims. They also could face a backlash from conservatives over accommodations to Western society, such as Muslim men shaking hands with unrelated women or taking loans that require interest payments.

"You don't go to Cairo or Saudi Arabia or Syria and ask an Islamic expert to solve a problem dealing with the Western society in Europe," said Trafa Baghajati, a Syrian-born assistant imam in Vienna. "You go to Islamic experts who know Europe and what it is like to live here. We are stuck between our new world of Islam and the old world."

The conference, which brought together more than 150 European-based imams and religious advisers, is working toward a final declaration expected Sunday. Some participants sought clear messages on efforts to reinterpret Islamic outlooks from a European perspective and train imams in Europe rather than the widespread practice of bringing mosque leaders from Arab nations or South Asia.

"It requires a whole new field of thinking," said Ayatollah Sayed Abbas Ghaemmagami, the chief Shiite Muslim mufti in Germany.

Others suggested more outreach to Christian groups and churches in Europe to explore common spiritual heritage, or requiring teachers in mostly Muslim schools to introduce lessons that stress the children's European bonds.

"We should bring them up to understand that this is their home," said Ahmed al-Rawi, president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe. "And that non-Muslims are part of their family."

But many noted that European Muslims also need to take faster and more tangible steps to root out bigger problems, including radical movements and a sense of cultural isolation often expressed by young Muslims.

Muslim communities in Europe have been under intense pressure to work with terrorism investigations following the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the blasts last year on London's transit system. Anti-immigration groups — often focusing on Muslims — also have gained momentum following last year's riots in France and the worldwide Muslim protests and riots over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

In March, Austria's right-wing Freedom Party launched a petition drive in opposition to the bid by mostly Muslim Turkey to join the     European Union.

"This creates a vicious circle," said Beate Winkler, director of the Vienna-based European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia. "Among Muslims this creates a feeling of helplessness and withdrawal from the larger community."

How much the so-called "theology of integration" can change this remains an open question. But the upheavals facing European Muslims may have shaken some leaders into action, said Yousif Alkhoei, a director of the Al-Khoei Foundation, a Muslim organization with offices around the world.

"We could be seeing the emergence of a new pragmatic Muslim theology, which will bring the essence and spirit of Islam out in the open," he said. "It will finally challenge some of the cultural baggage."