Source: Beliefnet.com

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/149/story_14929.html

On July 15, 2004 Beliefnet.com posted an article by Gustav Niebuhr on the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona, Spain: "None of the 7,000 attendees in Barcelona were elected. Meeting every five or six years in different cities worldwide, the parliament exists primarily to bring people of different faiths together—ideally, into cooperative contact. That it exists at all testifies to the existence of a religiously oriented peace movement persistent enough to endure even at a time when religion serves some as pretext for acts of terrorism. Organizers selected Barcelona as their meeting site long ago. But in coming here, participants gathered in a nation recently and deeply scarred by terrorism. Last March 11, in an incident that echoed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, more than 200 people died in a series of bombings of commuter trains in Madrid. Notable in this atmosphere is the number of sessions devoted to Islam, either exploring aspects of the faith or discussing how Muslims might begin dialogues or collaborate with people of other religions. During a 90-minute period Sunday morning, attendees could choose among four presentations by Muslims from the United States, Europe and Asia. Topics included a beginner-level explanation of the faith, during which panelists sought to puncture Western stereotypes of Islam as violent or oppressive of women."