Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

The Christian Democratic Appeal of the city council of Slotervaart in The Netherlands rejects the proposal to teach Islam in public schools.

Cornelis Hulsman commemorates the life of Metropolitan Marcos, an unconventional Dutch member of the Coptic Orthodox Church who served as a bishop for 34 years.

Drs. Hulsman and Dr. Burslem provide a detailed report on Muslim-Christian relations based on a review of Dr. Hugh Goddard’s book, commenting on a number of issues including Western perceptions, mis-interpretations, and examples of recent incidents involving Muslims and Christians.

The Egyptian press reported on the international reactions to the controversial Dutch movie Fitna.

Kees Hulsman lectured at the Free University in Amsterdam, comparing religious pluralism in Cairo with Amsterdam.
Dr. ‘Abd al-Mu‘tī Bayyūmī wrote about interpretations of the Qur’ānic verse “No compulsion in religion.”
Comments on articles criticizing four human rights centers in Egypt for inciting sedition.

In the wake of the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a suspected Islamic fundamentalist who has dual Moroccan and Dutch nationality at the beginning of last November, a group of Dutch Muslims and Jews are making endeavors to continue dialogue and bridge the gap between the two sides.



- See art. 10: “My veil is my identity,” a new book by Véronique Giro, a professor of Spanish and researcher Eve Santomir.

The killing of 47-year-old Dutch director Theo Van Gogh in Amsterdam by a young Muslim man of a Moroccan descent sparked a wave of racial acts of violence and unprecedented ethnic tension against Muslims.

Two people were arrested following a 14-hour anti-terror operation by Dutch police forces, ending a standoff with suspected Islamic terrorists that lasted all day in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. Three police officers were wounded during the raid by a grenade hurled by the suspects. Moreover, the raids were linked to the murder last week of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, perpetrated by a suspected Islamic radical, Muhammad Bouyeri, who has dual Moroccan and Dutch nationality.

Prof. Andreas van Agt explained great changes in the cultural

climate of north-western Europe in the pasty decades, becoming more hostile to religion and certainly not only Islām.

Muslims needs to understand those changes in order to be able to respond better to European critique on Islām and the

Muslim world.

The author continues his series of articles on Dr. Isaac Fānūs, and highlights his contributions to Coptic iconography as well as providing more information about his personal life.