A two-day international conference gets underway in Spain on Tuesday that seeks to analyse the intolerance and discrimination faced by Muslims in the West and discuss ways to fight it, organisers said. “There is a lack of data regarding the phenomena. It is important to collect data to avoid overestimating or minimising Islamophobia,” said Gema Martin Munoz, the director of Arab House, a public body which works to strengthen ties between Spain and the Arab world.The conference will take place under the aegis of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the southern Spanish city of Cordoba.
Taking part will be high-ranking delegations from the 56 nations that make up the OSCE as well as non-governmental organisations. Spain and Turkey have co-chaired the UN organisation since it was formed in 2005. In April 2007 former Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio was appointed as the head of the new alliance. Sampaio is scheduled to attend the conference as is the General Secretary of the Cairo-based Arab League, Amr Mousa.