Indonesians to address Islam seminar in Sweden

JAKARTA (JP): Three authoritative Indonesian experts on Islam will address a major conference in Stockholm, this month, aimed at bridging the gap between European culture and Islam.

Abdurrahman Wahid, Zakiah Daradjat and Irid Rachman Agoes have been invited to address the June 15-17 conference, which has been hailed in both Europe and the Islamic world as timely.

"It is also gratifying that Indonesia has been highlighted, in the preparatory process, as a role model for a functioning multi- ethnic and multi-religious society, " Swedish Ambassador to Indonesia Mikael Lindstrom said.

"Misunderstanding and distrust between Islam and Europe have probably never been as great as they are today," Swedish Foreign Minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen said in a memorandum about the `Swedish Initiative' made available by the embassy.

"I am convinced that we must take joint responsibility for establishing a more balanced picture of Islam in Europe," she said.

She said that the mutual distrust between European and Islamic communities was increasing, at a time when more and more people from the Islamic world were migrating to Europe.

Sweden now has about 200,000 people with Muslim backgrounds among its nine million inhabitants.