Oslo (PR/News Item)
Instead of its persistent plan of Burning Quran, an anti-Islamic group “SIAN” in Norway has agreed to initiate discourse with a Muslim group.
The Muslim Dialogue Forum Norway (MDFN) is coordinated by Norwegian Pakistani politician Syed Yousaf Gilani who has previously served as a deputy mayor of Drammen, the city nearby capital Oslo.
The MDFN has so far conducted a few rounds of meetings with leaders of SIAN specially its main figure Lars Thorsen and next larger meeting in the context would be held on October 24, 2020.
Prominent intellectual Lars Petter Soltvedt, the professor of University of South Norway is playing important role in the perspective of this dialogue.
In addition to Yousaf Gilani, other noted figures such Hatice Elmacioglu and Wahab Qadir are also part of the dialogue process.
SIAN in the press release appreciated the Muslim Forum specially Yousaf Gilani for initiating the dialogue process.
The press statement said, we will refrain from burning the Koran during an event in Hamar town of Norway. This event was supposed to be held on 12th September in Hamar city but cancelled due to the dialogue.
According to Yousaf Gilani, SIAN’s plan was to burn Quran every Saturday in a Norwegian city but now because of our efforts for talk, the group has postponed such hateful events. He said, we are trying to make bridge in the society specially between Muslims and secular democracy of Norway.
The upcoming meeting will discuss the possibilities for bridging between Islam and Norwegian secular democratic people.
In its press release, SIAN added, we are in a society with increasing polarization between groups, where there is a great potential for positive effects of conducting a dialogue meeting. It would be more fruitful to sit around a table and discuss with an opponent, the PR said by adding, both parties may not have the same point of view at the end of the meeting but there must be a positive exchange of views, regardless of whether the parties’ views are far apart.
Commenting on the positive development, Pakistani political expert and Journalist Dr Syed Sibtain H. Shah said, this is a great initiative in order to decrease the emerging extremism in the western society. “Dialogue is best way to avoid clash among the different circles of the society and this initiative will give positive results,” he added.
The Norway based anti Islamic organization SIAN, which stands for Stop Islamization of Norway (Norwegian: Stopp Islamiseringen av Norge-SIAN) has so far held a number of anti Muslim demonstrations and as well as burned Quran on the many occasions in the recent years.
Yousaf Gilani is a Muslim politician in Norway who has been involved in the activities of peace and reconciliation in the country so far.
