Session two began with Dr. Nabi Saleh speaking on Legal Rights, Political Freedom and Criminal Law while the Protection of Legal Rights and Guarantees was covered by Dr. Ali Hishan. Sheikh Ikrima Sabri then spoke of Legal Rights and Political Freedom under Islam and the concluding lecture, given by Dr. Shafiq Ayyash was, again on the subject of Islam and Legal Rights. The third session was on Islam and its relationship to the West. Summarised below is the presentation given by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi:

Dr. Abdul Hadi began by saying how the historical evolution of Islam could be charted in the following stages:

a) From the Prophet Mohammed in the seventh century and subsequent growth to the eleventh century. b) From the Crusades in the eleventh century to the fifteenth century, with focus on Islamic rulers in Andalusia. c) Between World Wars One and Two; and d) During the Cold War and up to the time of the Gulf War in the 1990s.

He went on to say that it is best that these evolutionary aspects be left to scholars, historians and orientalists to discuss for the focus of this particular event is on the current relationship between Islam and the West.

Twenty years ago Islamists and Islamic Fundamentalism were not visible on the European political map although it is fair to say that during the Cold War, thanks to their access to large sections of society via social activities and mosques, Islamists and, in part, the forums and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, were used as tools in the hands of various regimes to oppose or counter what was seen as the Communist threat.

Over the last fifteen years the following ten events and ten personalities have brought much more attention to Islam and its base in the Arab World. (It is important to connect these events and these personalities in order to illustrate the attitude of the West towards Islam today):

1. The fall of the one of the strongest and most pro-American of the countries in the region, Iran, whose leader was deposed by the Islamists. 2. The assassination of the President of another strong and pro-American regime, Anwar Sadat in Egypt. 3. The Islamist takeover of Sudan, one of the largest Arab countries. 4. The growth in social, political and economic strength of the Islamists in Jordan. 5. The Islamic Movement struggling against the regime in Algiers. 6. Islamists, in particular the Shi'ite and their struggle against Israel in south Lebanon. 7. The massacre of 30,000 Islamists in Ham'a, by the Syrian regime. 8. Takeover in Afghanistan by the Islamic Movement and subsequent threats to the newly independent republic in Tajikistan. 9. Islamist attacks and killing of police officers and several attempts on high ranking officials and tourists in Egypt 10. Islamic manoeuvres in Saudi Arabia resulting in the King declaring a royal decree for democratic changes and the appointment of a consultative council.

The following is a list of ten men who have brought attention in the West.

1. Fathi Shikaki - Islamic Jihad member who was deported from the Occupied Gaza Strip and went on to become head of Jihad with its headquarters in south Lebanon. 2. Sheikh Assad Tamimi - Islamic Jihad, Beit Maqdes, Jordan. 3. Mohammed Abdul Rahman Sharifa - Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. 4. Sheikh Ahmad Hussein Fadlala - Hizbullah, south Lebanon. 5. Abbas Mousawi - Political Leader of Hizbullah in Lebanon who was assassinated by Israel Defence Forces in Feb. 92. 6. Sa'ed Mohammed Bekar Hakim - Leader of Shi'ite opposition, Iraq.

7. Cultural Minister of The Sudan. 8. Sheikh Omar Abed Al Rahman - Imam of the Washington mosque arrested for the bombing of the World Trade Center. 9. Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. 10. Sheikh Ahmad Yassin - Spiritual Leader of Hamas in Gaza, currently in prison in Israel.

The West today only reads about and hears of the activities of such men. A combination of the two factors outlined above is how Islam is seen by the Western world today. It is worth mentioning the case of Dr. Abdallah Azam who was an activist in Islamic forums in the Occupied Territory. He was deported to Jordan where he tried to run for higher office in the Muslim Brotherhood advocating a new approach but was rejected by the old guard who had maintained their seat of power since the early 50s. He was recruited by foreign agents and sent to Afghanistan where he succeeded in forming and arming the International Muslim Brigade before he was assassinated in a car bomb. His followers became the new mercenaries for special missions. They were recruited to fight the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and used by the governments in France, Algeria and Egypt to counter attacks by radical Islamic groups. This function has continued to the present day.

It is also worth mentioning some countries and their politics and practices which affect the relationship between Islam and the West. Turkey for example has been a member of NATO since 1952 and before the end of the Cold War had a strategic role as a defensive curtain from the former Soviet Union and as an economic and military base for Europe and the United States. The Turkey of today with its particular geography and demography serves a dual role:

1. To the new independent Islamic Republics in the former Soviet Union to provide a market and economic/technological aid.

2. To our region where Turkey is involved in the question of water, borders with Syria and Iraq, the Kurdish question and the alliance with Israel. The question of arms capabilities and prospects for control is another dimension which should be considered.