European Political and Religious Leaders Encourage Religious Freedom In Middle East

On Monday, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist leaders (list of attendees) met in Brussels with leaders of the European Union. An EU press release says that:

This was the seventh in a series of annual meetings launched by [EU] President [Jose Manuel] Barroso in 2005. This is the second time that the meeting takes place in the context of the Lisbon Treaty which foresees in its Art 17 that the Union maintains an "open, transparent and regular dialogue" with religion, churches and communities of conviction. Today's meeting testifies once again of the importance that European institutions give to this dialogue.

Reuters reports on a news conference by European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy held after the meeting. The leaders said they would defend religious freedom in the Middle East as part of their support for the spread of democracy in the Arab Spring.  European Council President Van Rompuy said: "there is no contradiction between Islam and democracy. This period of openness must be maintained after the revolutions and religious and other minorities must be respected." Meanwhile yesterday's New York Times published a front page article on ongoing tensions in Egypt between Coptic Christians and Muslims.