Are Moderate, Peace Loving Muslims Really That Hard To Find?

Tundra Tabloid writes about a self-described "peace forum" which is being sponsored by an organization called Hakunila. According to their mission statement, Hakunila's goal is:

to promote the awareness and knowledge of the different cultures and advance multicultural activities in the Finland. We aim for overall tolerance in Finland by applying preventive and antiracist policies.

If their aim is overall tolerance, they've invited the wrong people.


The focus is going to be on the Arab Israel conflict--here is a list of who will be speaking:

Peace Forum
“The role of Intellectuals in Promoting Peace”
Emphasis on Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Thursday 25.11.2010 at 17:00
At Helsinki University PII hall.
Yliopistonkatu 3, 1st floor – Porthania

Chairman:
Professor Tapani Harviainen, University of Helsinki, Semitic Languages and Cultures’ institute.
Opening speech:
Mr. Erkki Tuomioja, Member of Finnish Parliament and Finnish foreign minister (1999-2007).
Keynote:

• Prof. Benny Morris, history professor at Middle East Studies Department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
• Dr. Azzam Tamimi, the director of Institute of Islamic Political Thought, and the founder of Al-Hiwar TV channel.

Panellists:

• Mr. Gideon Bolotowsky, Chairman of the Central Council of Jewish Communities in Finland.
• Dr. Anas Hajjar, Islamic Council of Finland
• Dr. Risto Cantell is executive director, Department for International Relations, Church of Finland.

The language of the event will be English, questions could be asked in Finnish as well.
(Coffee and tea will be served)
Free entrance
Organizer: Hakunila International Organization supported by Finnish Ministry of Education.
More information: Burhan Hamdon, Phone 040-501 3199, burhan(a)hakunila.org

Efraim Karsh wrote about the ignorance Erkki Tuomioja spewed back in 2005 in European Misreading of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Finnish Foreign Minister Tuomioja - A Case Study

But in terms of Azzam Tamimi, one might wonder what he is doing at a forum devoted to “The role of Intellectuals in Promoting Peace”--especially after listening to this video of a speech he gave. He starts off by describing Israel as a cancer, and it's all downhill from there.



In a day where terrorists are described as activists or militants, we now have peace activists who simply have no interest in peace--similar to the people for whom they choose to advocate.

Technorati Tag: Azzam Tamimi and Erkki Tuomioja.