Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Other Group

European Muslim Forum (EMF)

Website:

www.europeanmuslimforum.org
Type:

Religious Advocacy Group
Formation:

2018
Location:

Paris, France

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The European Muslim Forum (EMF) is a transnational organization with offices throughout Europe that advocates for the interests of the Muslim population in Europe. EMF builds mosques and Islamic culture centers in Europe, promotes the Halal industry, and opposes Islamophobia. After the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, EMF called for an independent Palestinian state, decried what it called the “crimes” of Israel, and supported an organization calling for Israel to be barred from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. 1 2 3 4

History and Activities

The European Muslim Forum was established on October 8, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. In the weeks that followed, EMF held three board meetings: the first at the Central Mosque in Rome, Italy, where the organization adopted a declaration and action plan to register the organization in at least six European states. The second board meeting was on November 29, 2018, where members defined goals to interact with the European Commission and European Parliament.  At this meeting, the EMF board and executive committee were established. The third board meeting was held on December 10th, 2018 in Paris, France. There EMF registered at 72 rue Maraichers in Paris, appointed permanent board members, and decided to open five offices in Brussels, Belgium; London, England; Barcelona, Spain; Istanbul, Turkey; and Moscow, Russia. 5 6

During the founding period, EMF sent delegations to visit Lisbon, Portugal; Budapest, Hungary; Berlin, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Warsaw, Poland; Krakow, Poland; Belgrade, Serbia; Istanbul, Turkey; Kiev, Ukraine; Minsk, Belarus, and Moscow, St. Petersburg, Makhachkala, and Grozny, Russia. EMF also sent delegations outside of greater Europe to Doha, Qatar; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Singapore. At the same time, EMF registered in the United Kingdom and Denmark. 7

EMF has four main programs devoted to fostering the “spiritual ascent of Muslims for the benefit of the whole of Greater Europe.” The first program is to combat Islamophobia. The second is a club for Muslim members of parliaments. The third is a scientific and religious project called “Know the Universe.” The fourth program is an ecumenical festival featuring spiritual music. 8

EMF’s motto promotes “positive development of Islam in Europe and Europe with Islam.”9 To accomplish this vision, EMF announced what it called a “large-scale public, cultural and civilizational agenda” coupled with a plan to unite Muslim leaders across Europe. The goals of this agenda were to help Muslim immigrants effectively integrate into European society, to construct mosques and Islamic cultural centers in Europe, to host regular public events and Muslim cultural festivals promoting what it calls the “European Islamic cultural heritage,” developing educational projects for European Muslim youth, and developing the Halal industry within Europe. 10

During a meeting that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, EMF agreed to a resolution calling for a global “common healthcare system” under which rich countries would support other countries. It also demanded an end to “the continued occupation of Palestine”; claimed the largely Christian Armenians were the aggressors the most recent battles in their long running conflict with largely Muslim Azerbaijan, despite Azerbaijan initiating hostilities; 11 and supported the decision of Turkey to turn the Hagia Sophia, a former Orthodox Christian cathedral before the conquest of Constantinople (now Istanbul) by Ottoman Turkey, into a mosque on the grounds that “historic places of worship should be returned to believers.” 12

In December 2023 after the October 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, EMF held a “European Summit for Palestine” calling for an independent Palestinian state and highlighting “Israel’s crimes.” 13

Controversies

Olympic Games and Israel

In May 2024, the Global Summit for Palestine, a project of the European Muslim Forum, launched a campaign to expel Israel from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The organizing committee of the Global Summit for Palestine delivered a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declaring “Zionist military forces are criminals who have no place in the peace-loving Olympic Movement.” The letter also said that if Israel is not removed from the Olympics, “the Paris Olympic Games will face a total boycott alongside Israel.” EMF claimed Israel’s response to Hamas’s terrorist attack in October 2023 amounted to “Zionist atrocities.” 14

Islamic Conquest Controversy

In the European Muslim Forum’s October 2018 Rome declaration, the organization whitewashed the Islamic military conquest of parts of Europe in the Middle Ages, labelling the military conquest as the way Europe “encountered” Islam. Scholars note that the conquests were “renowned for … brutality” and included the call for Muslim armies to spread Islam, adding that people were to accept Islam “either willingly or unwillingly.” 15 16

People

Board members of the European Muslim Forum include Abdul-Vakhed Niyazov, Abdul Wahid Pedersen, Iqbal Sacranie, Damir Mukhetdinov, Romas Jakubauskas, Karim Ifrak, and Nader Akkad. 17

References

  1. “About European Muslim Forum.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/about.
  2. “Goals.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/goals.
  3. “European summit for Palestine.” European Muslim Forum. December 7, 2023. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/european-summit-for-palestine.
  4. Pareja, Marcos Menocal. “Global Summit for Palestine threatens IOC ‘boycott’ unless Israel is banned from Olympics.” Inside the Games. May 31, 2024. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1145726/summit-palestine-ioc-boycott-israel.
  5. [1] “About European Muslim Forum.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/about.
  6. “European Muslim Forum declaration of Rome, 12.10.2018.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/docs.
  7.  “About European Muslim Forum.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/about.
  8. “About European Muslim Forum.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/about.
  9. “About European Muslim Forum.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/about.
  10. “Goals.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/goals.
  11. Hernandez, Joe and Charles Maynes. “The deadly clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan explained.” NPR. September 19, 2022. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2022/09/19/1123515328/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-explained.
  12.  “European Muslim Forum online confer4ence resolution as of the 22.07.2020.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/docs.
  13. “European summit for Palestine.” European Muslim Forum. December 7, 2023. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/european-summit-for-palestine.
  14. Pareja, Marcos Menocal. “Global Summit for Palestine threatens IOC ‘boycott’ unless Israel is banned from Olympics.” Inside the Games. May 31, 2024. Accessed June 21, 2024.  https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1145726/summit-palestine-ioc-boycott-israel.
  15. “European Muslim Forum declaration of Rome, 12.10.2018.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/docs.
  16. Ibrahim, Raymond. “The Historical Reality of the Muslim Conquests.” Middle East Forum. March 1, 2012. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://www.meforum.org/3182/history-muslim-conquests.
  17. “Board.” European Muslim Forum. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://europeanmuslimforum.org/board.
  See an error? Let us know!