What is the stance of youth leaders in Western European countries towards these extremist political parties?
FAR: MLTs are the voice of their communities, and they are among the first to respond to instances of xenophobia or Islamophobia in their countries. For example, when Geert Wilders’s movie, “Fitna”, was released, a number of Dutch MLTs petitioned against the film and published newspaper articles. They also launched a t-shirt petition campaign with the message, “Holland Loves Muslims” and “Muslims Love Holland” and initiated the “Sending Hugs” campaign, organising mass “email hugs” to Geert Wilders because “all he really needs is love”. Famile, one of the Dutch MLT’s, even sent him flowers and thanked him for bringing her closer together with other Muslims. All of our MLTs espouse the core Islamic values of pluralism, freedom, justice, intellectual development, creativity, and leadership. In keeping with these values, MLTs in Europe are actively engaged in building bridges between Muslims and the larger community. For example, MLT Shenila Janmohammed frequently speaks on integration, hi
