Anti-dimmitude from Frattini and the EU

EU OBSERVER: The vice-president of the European Commission Franco Frattini has said Europe can only respect Muslim traditions if they do not contradict the bloc's own basic values, such as freedom of speech or equality between men and women.

"We are not governed by sharia, after all," he said in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica published on Monday (9 October)

Mr Frattini, in charge of the justice and security portfolio, has among commissioners been the most outspoken critic of the recent reaction in the Muslim world to a speech by Pope Benedict XVI suggesting links between Islam and violence.

Referring to the controversy, Mr Frattini told La Repubblica that both European political and cultural leaders and moderate Muslim authorities should have condemned threats to the pope after his speech.

"If we ourselves do not maintain our strong identity, if we are not sure about our principles - how can we manage integrating with others?" he asked.

"We can guarantee respect of traditions of the Muslim community only if these are not in contrast with our core rules, even if they are unwritten." EU has limits in respecting Muslim traditions, says Frattini by Lucia Kubosova

Mark Alexander