In 10 countries, Muslim youth gave roses to passersby to break fears

The events, organized by the Islamic Community Milli Gorus (ICMG) organization, expanded from Germany to the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland.

This was the sixth annual ‘Hello, I am a Muslim’ event organized by the ICMG.

Although Milli Görüş is an organization with Turkish roots, the volunteers were drawn from all different backgrounds.

Since the organizations first branch opened in Germany in the 1970s, it has flourished and now boasts over 87,000 subscription-paying members in Europe alone. That generates an annual income running into millions of euros.

The religious movement runs 514 mosques and cultural centers in eleven European countries, all of whom sent female delegates to attend the conference.

The campaign came to counter a trend of growing polarization in Western societies, both political and social.

Many non-Muslim Europeans have explicit opinions about the position and legitimacy, let alone the future of Muslims in these countries.

At the same time, research shows that a large portion of society doesn’t have any present or past personal contacts with Muslims.