by Jules Gomes, Focus on Western Islamism
European Parliamentarians Blast Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Qur’an Project
The European Commission, the primary executive branch of the European Union, funnels millions of euros into projects that promote Islam, some involving Islamists and the ideological rewriting of European history and culture.
Leading lawmakers and scholars have warned that the European Commission’s lavish funding for research on the Qur’an, Sharia, Islamophobia, and Islamic charity advances Islamist advocacy and fuels radical historical revisionism.
In particular, critics object to the EC’s funneling nearly 10 million euros into a six-year research project (2019-2025) titled “The European Qur’an (EuQu)” which seeks “to understand how the Holy Book has influenced both culture and religion in Europe.”
Rewriting European History
Despite claims of neutrality, the project admits that it is biased towards “the recognition that the Qur’an has played an important role in the formation of medieval and early modern European religious diversity and identity and continues to do so.”
Through exhibitions, conferences, and book publications, the EuQu project insists it is “rewriting the history of the European Qur’an by placing European perceptions of the Holy Book and of Islam into the fractured religious, political, and intellectual landscape of the period from 1150 to 1850.”
Academics and politicians have criticized the project for attempting to engage in historical revisionism, which is one of the best-funded initiatives of the European Research Council (ERC). Critics have also linked the initiative to voices aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.