AUSTRIAN MUSLIM COMMUNITY CALLS FOR "DIALOGUE" REACTION TO

UNCLAS VIENNA 002895

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MUSLIM COMMUNITY CALLS FOR "DIALOGUE" REACTION TO
POPE'S COMMENTS

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Summary
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1.(U) In reaction to the controversy surrounding Pope Benedict's
comments on Mohammed, the Austrian Muslim Community (IGGIO) has
issued appeals for an interreligious dialogue. Together with the
Austrian Catholic Church, IGGIO initiated a "day of dialogue" on
September 22, with public discussions on relations between
Christians and Muslims. End Summary.

Reaction to Pope's Comments
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2.(U) The Austrian Muslim community (IGGIO) reacted with appeals for
moderation in the controversy surrounding Pope Benedict's use of a
quote characterizing Mohammed as having introduced "only bad and
inhumane elements" to the world. In a September 18 interview, IGGIO
President Anas Schakfeh expressed hope that there would be "enough
smart people on both sides to overcome this incident." Schakfeh
called for a calm dialogue between Christians and Muslims to address
"common problems". IGGIO integration spokesman Omar Al-Rawi
stressed that, in contrast to the Danish cartoon controversy, the
management of the crisis had been better because the Vatican had
reacted quickly to clarify the matter.

Day of Dialogue
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3.(U) On September 22, the IGGIO, in cooperation with the Austrian
Catholic Church, arranged a "day of dialogue" at a square in
downtown Vienna. Schakfeh had initiated this action to counter the
"day of wrath" that Islamist leaders had proclaimed for September

22. Schakfeh, Vienna auxiliary bishop Helmut Kraetzl and other
Islamic and Catholic figures publicly stressed the need for
togetherness. Schakfeh noted the importance of "good neighborly
relations" despite the differences between the religions. "We live
in a pluralist society which has a place for us all," he
underscored. Islam would never justify violence in order to enforce
religious convictions, he asserted.

Austrian Muslim Community
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4.(SBU) There are some 400,000 Muslims in Austria, one third of
whom live in Vienna. With Muslims at 4.2 percent of the
population, Austria has, after France, the EU's second largest
percentage of Muslims. Islam is one of 13 legally recognized
religions in Austria. It received this status in 1912. This
entails certain privileges, including the authority to participate
in the mandatory church contributions program, to provide religious
instruction in public schools, to bring religious workers into the
country, and to engage in a number of public or quasi-public
activities. The Islamic Community (IGGIO) is the official
organization representing Muslims in Austria.

McCAW