One of the issues that most speakers agreed on was that the current fear by some Christians for Islam is for a considerable part due to the weakened position of Christianity in current day European societies. In the past decades the Christian heart of Western-Europe has been weakened by many forces. This weakening of our own strength is the main reason for fear and discomfort.

So instead of blaming others religions or ideologies it is definitely necessary for Christian-democrats to look in the mirror and see how we can restore the confidence and impact of Christian-democracy.

Nevertheless, we can also not deny that some followers of Islam certainly have many difficulties to adapt to Western-European culture. The difference between both cultures makes it difficult for many young Muslims in Europe to find an identity since they do not feel at home in their European country but when they visit the country of their (grand)parents they also feel like a stranger. To these people, radical Islam is a way to give them an identity, a way to belong to something.

 (more about the conference later this week)