Islam in History and Present of Europe

Aims of the seminar: 1. The idea for this Study Session arose out of the need of communication: we saw the tendency of people to generalise, and then stereotype. Muslims especially faced problems because a lot of people associate the Islam with terror. As politically active youth we cannot accept this generalisation. Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge the problem and try to fight it. We try to look at the topic; not as "discovering the Islam", but as a dialogue. Together we want to talk about problems, our view on them, and possible solutions. FYEG wants to get in closer contact with NGOs with an Islamic background or with NGOs in countries with a big Muslim population. We want to develop and strengthen co-operation with those organisations. This should help us to open our minds and broaden our horizon. We don't want to forget that Islam is not a far away religion but that in Europe large Muslim communities exist and also countries with a Muslim majority. Since we don't have member organisations in these countries, we want to help youth organisations with similar aims as FYEG to grow and to become part of our federation. Our objectives are the following: - Fight prejudices - Support communication between Islamic and non-islamic youth - Gain knowledge about the history of Europe and the religion of Islam - Develop future projects - Strengthen the link between FYEG and NGOs in Islamic countries - Continue the process of getting closer contacts with youth NGOs with a Muslim background or from Muslim countries - Follow-up the long-term projects "Crossing the Meditereanean - Youth Dialogue Migration" This is what the agenda could be like: 1st day Arrival day Welcoming of the participants Getting to know each other, Ice-breaking games 2nd day Energiser, Introduction to the day Introduction to the week's programme, Aims and objectives of the seminar, FYEG, CoE, Democratic rules, working procedures, technical remarks Expectations and motivations First input into the topic: a look into the history: Lecture on the history of the Islam in Europe Q&A, Discussion Workshops on aspects of the history of the Islam and Europe Topics could include: a closer look at the person Mohammad, early history of Islam; Al-Andaluz, the Muslim Spain; Ottomans in Europe; history of Caucasus Workshop topics can be suggested by the participants 3rd day Energiser, Introduction to the day Presentations of yesterday's workshops Talk: What role does religion play in your identity? Talking about personal identity and the role of religion in our lives Discussion with expert input: What is Religion? What are common values of religions? Is culture religious? Continuation in Working Groups. 4th day Energiser, Introduction to the day The influence of the Islam on Europe Lecture: the Influence of Islamic culture on European cultures and examples Working groups on: Islamic art in Europe, the Islamic roots of sciences, influence of culture of the Islamic world on Europe How is the perception of Europe among Muslims? Role play/theatre 5th day Energiser, Introduction to the day Excursion The field visit should go to an NGO that works with the topic and is located near the EYC. We still don't know exactly where we will go. Free afternoon 6th day Energiser, Introduction to the day Migration of Muslims to Europe and how this influences Europe Movie and discussion Countries with a Muslim majority on their way to the European Union: Examples Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania Keynote speeches from participants from these countries about the countries relationship to the EU Discussions with the help of texts and personal knowledge 7th day Energiser, Introduction to the day Project development through Open Space Technology Further development of projects Final discussion of the statement that was developed during the week by a statement team Evaluation of the Study Session 8th day Departure Day Breakfast and the departure of participants What we expect from you: You should be younger than 35 and interested in the topic. It is not demanded to be member of FYEG but members of our member organisations and our partner organisations will be prioritised. You have to be able to attend the whole seminar. The participants will be chosen according to gender and geographical balance. We especially encourage young women and people with a muslim background to apply.