Muslim Youth and Women in the West: Source of Concern or Source of Hope?

Session VI –Plan of Action

The recommendations listed below represent the key points of the conference action plan regarding the media, the exchange of best practices, and integration.

Media

The following steps are recommended to overcome the tendency of Western media to stereotype Muslim communities, thereby generating widespread misconceptions:

National media associations should promote workshops that train media professionals to be more conscientious about Muslim communities.
- The workshops should be organized at the national level to allow for political and cultural differences in the Muslim immigrant experience, as well as differences in the origin of the population itself.
- The European Union and national governments should support these workshops in principle, but they must be organized outside the government system in order to guarantee freedom of the press.
Media guides should be developed with basic information on Muslim communities in the West.

Whether simple fact sheets or full papers, these guides should also be made available to school teachers, public figures, and local authorities.

Exchange of Best Practices

NYU Center for Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West should act as a conduit for the transatlantic exchange of Muslim experiences and success stories.

It should compile a catalog of best practices, focusing on grassroots efforts, including examples of particular difficulties local Muslim communities have faced and the actions they have taken to overcome these difficulties. The catalog should acknowledge national differences, as not all examples are applicable elsewhere.
It should promote meetings between Muslim youth and Muslims identified as “success stories,” who can serve as role models for the younger generation.
It should convene a follow–up meeting to chart progress on the action plan and to evaluate ongoing issues.

Local authorities and local communities should encourage cross–cultural dialogue with the support of higher–level authorities.

Government authorities at all levels should expand incentives for the promotion of events that improve understanding and overcome misconceptions through intercultural dialogue.
Local Muslim associations should organize events that engage with the general public and set up partnerships with other organizations that deal with issues of common concern.

Entertainers, sports stars, and successful individuals, both Muslim and non–Muslim, should be called upon to help promote a positive image of Muslim communities.

Academics and other “experts” should not be the only voices speaking about Muslim communities in the West.

Integration

National governments and the European Union should define objective indicators for evaluating integration, clearly distinguishing between cultural and religious integration.

They should work with NGOs to meet the urgent need for statistical information on Muslim communities by conducting voluntary participation censuses to inform policy.

Back to the top.