ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

194 is the fundamentalist movement; it is the Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood, the fundamentalists. They want the return to the first century, taking up the model of "we think the solution is in the past", in reference to the passages of the Koran that agree with them. These "advertising campaigns" skilfully exploit the frustration of certain individuals, leading them to ex- treme gestures in the name of Islam as a solution to the evils in which Arab coun- tries find themselves. There is no doubt that strong interests succeed in propaga- ting these ideologies that do not respond to the universal human rights adopted by the UN since 1948. In my opinion, terro- rism can be defeated through the support of the majority of Muslims who love pe- ace and who condemn terrorism itself. This condemnation should be expressed with greater determination, both by Mu- slim states and, above all, by civil society, religious movements and the vast world of mosques. Only in this way can the pro- cess of draining the many basins be trig- gered, where the ideas of a radical and violent Islam are born and developed and where hatred and resentment towards an enemy and colonizing West considered to be a friend of the Arab Christian citizens. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR US? Although European policy has shifted religion from the public to the private sphere, let us remember that it was pre- cisely religion that ensured the cohesion of European states. It took precisely three men to start resolving centuries of confli- ct and launching the idea of a European Union: De Gaulle in France; De Gasperi in Italy; and Adenauer in Germany. They are three Christian men, and by chance, Catholic. Today the glue of the Europe- an states has become the economy and finance, while that of the Arab states is religion, an Islam that reproaches young Europeans for their religious emptiness. It is good to remember that Europe and the Arab world have common and comple- mentary interests that I would like to hi- ghlight: the guarantee of energy supplies; technological development to promote the Arab economy in the global economy; too much oil wealth in the hands of the few that are holding back the develop- ment of innovation and the formation of a middle class necessary for the formation of a beginning of democracy; the solu- tion of Palestinian refugees and their de- scendants piled up in shantytown camps without civil rights in countries already overpopulated; and rampant illiteracy. In essence: stability, recognised borders, re- spected human values, a middle class for- med without forgetting to give voice to the weakest and smallest nations, protecting their interests. The ageing of the Europe- an average age attracts young Arabs, the majority of whom are Muslims, from a differently cultured social background. In order to create a peaceful reception, not only economic, of newcomers to the na- tional territory, it is essential to create the conditions for immigrants to adhere to a cultural project, of equality of citizens be- fore the law, of the principles of the Chri- stian majority religion in Italy to dispel the prejudices that prevail among them. At the same time, the local population must be prepared to live together with the new citizens. Experience teaches that inte- gration and inclusion are indispensable elements for a fruitful and lasting coexi- stence. We have seen how the countries of North Africa in the two previous centu- ries developed thanks to the emigration of millions of Europeans who had settled there for a few generations, unfortunately without integrating with the local popula- tion, leading to their expulsion. Another factor that favours stability is the cultural exchange and the exchange of technolo- gical knowledge between the universities