Specialists, institutional leaders and civil society actors will meet on November 21 in Alicante to examine the latest legislative developments to address racism and discrimination, as well as to highlight the role of culture as an instrument of social inclusion. They will do so in the framework of the III Congress against Islamophobiaorganized by the association Jovesólides in collaboration with the Casa del Mediterraneo.
Under the slogan of Guarantee, value and challenge to stop Islamophobia, the meeting will combine political analysis with community testimonies and cultural expressions to promote a “more just, plural and inclusive society”. The Congress against Islamophobia is aimed at social entities working to prevent racism, as well as researchers, academics, anti-racist organizations and representatives of the Muslim and migrant community.
The event has become a benchmark in Spain for making Islamophobia visible as one of the “main forms of racist discrimination” that threatens plural and diverse societies.
This year the Congress against Islamophobia will include the participation of Bárbara Ruiz-Bejarano, director of the Las Fuentes Foundation, who will be part of a round table to debate on Culture as a bridge to memory and recognition. Belén Cuenca, PhD in History, and Fátima Saheb, poet and writer, will accompany Ruiz-Bejarano in a colloquium moderated by Lourdes Mirón, director of Jovesólides and co-responsible for the Congress.
This third block will give visibility to cultural projects related to the Islamic legacy, historical heritage and other contemporary artistic expressions that act as “tools for inclusion and dialogue”. Bárbara Ruiz-Bejarano holds a PhD in Islamic Studies and is honorary professor of the Unesco Chair at the University of Alicante Islam, Culture and Society. The scientific career of the director of the Las Fuentes Foundation focuses on Muslim communities in non-Islamic societies, the global Islamic economy and halal markets.