The preparatory meeting of a civil society which took place a day before the Conference of the OSCE on the top-level concerning tolerance and indiscrimination, on June, 28th, 2010, was marked by fruitful work on preparation of recommendations, including those concerning struggle against discrimination of Muslims.

Such meetings before the OSCE meetings are directed on assistance to participation of the civil society in the Organization’s work, on expansion of exchanges between the states-participants and the civil society, and also to promote unity increase between various cultural and religious communities, and also groups of the civil society in the whole region of the OSCE.

It is remarkable that the topic "Struggle against intolerance and discrimination concerning Muslims" was considered on the first plenary session. In this section participants of the meeting gave actual recommendations on the Conference consideration.

The states-participants of the OSCE are called among other "to guarantee the rights of Muslims to practice their religion without any discrimination according to the international standards of human rights. It includes the right to building of mosques and wearing of preferred clothes until the decision on it is accepted by them independently".

For a long time already actual is carrying out of explanatory work and educational projects among the population and groups of the civil society for the purpose of reduction of fears and prejudices. It could be promoted by recognition of the past and the present contribution of Muslims at world and national levels.

The presented recommendations contained also the following point, "To develop educational programs and strategy on struggle against intolerance and discrimination concerning Muslims and to exclude anti-Muslim stereotypes and prejudices from school textbooks and curriculums".

All aforementioned recommendations express the general aspiration to condemn all displays of intolerance and discrimination concerning Muslims and to take preventive measures for contest of prejudices and stereotypes against Muslims.

Necessity of definition of these and many other problematic areas was caused by appreciable increase in Europe of amounts of incidents motivated with hatred, and crimes concerning physical persons owing to their race, religion, ethnic accessory and other similar factors.

The AUASO "Аlraid", taking part in the Preparatory meeting, gave on consideration of the states-participants and institutes of the OSCE the recommendations concerning ways of Islamophobia overcoming in Europe as political and ideological means on the part of certain political forces, used in the struggle against achievement of a new stage of integration of Muslims in the European society.

Recommendations of the Preparatory meeting of the civil society are addressed to the states-participants of the OSCE, the OSCE as a whole, to institutes of the OSCE, including the ODIHR, to missions of the OSCE, other intergovernmental organizations, the NGO and to other subjects of the civil society.

The summary recommendations accepted at the preliminary meeting of the NGO: http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/44969_ru.pdf

The documents accessible on the mission site: http://www.osce.org/conferences/tolerance_2010.html?page=documents&session_id=615

By arraid.org

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