As Brussels began a lockdown last weekend to search for suspected terrorists following the murderous attacks in Paris, I was on my way to Jakarta to attend the second world Forum for Muslim Democrats, a still little-known but potentially powerful platform for reflection on 21st century Islam.

Islam was on the agenda in both cities and on both continents. But with a big difference.

In Brussels and other European capitals, the talk was of militant Islam, the alleged link between Islam and violence and why young European Muslims were being drawn to fight with and for the militant Islamic State group.

The talk was harsh, angry and negative, at times darkly Islamophobic. Europe was hurting and it wanted to know why. What was wrong with its Muslim minority? What was wrong with Islam?

As the Far Right thundered “I told you so”, many blamed the refugees streaming in from Syria, others raged against Belgium for “allowing” its towns to turn into hotbeds of jihad. It was nasty and unpleasant but understandable as a first, raw reaction.

The Forum in Jakarta also fretted about IS and its global ramifications and the damaging shadow the terrorist group and its sponsors had cast over the world and over Islam.

But, refreshingly and importantly, discussions were also about renewal and revival of the religion, the importance of democracy and good governance and replacing the IS version with a fresh narrative of Islam as a religion of moderation, tolerance, understanding and inclusiveness.

Although none of the official documents mention Wahabism by name, the message was loud and clear: it was crucial to get Islam out of its Arab stranglehold, to end the equation between Islam and IS. It was time to listen to other voices, other interpretations and to highlight diversity and freedom of thought.

There was consensus that to counter the Wahabi interpretation of Islam, non-Arab Muslim nations would have to take the lead in spotlighting what the organisers of the Forum described as the “true, peaceful and pluralistic nature of Islam”.

“Muslim democrats must not allow the deep state or terrorists to continue hijacking the course of history. We must chart a new course,” said Anwar Ibrahim, imprisoned Malaysian opposition politician and the Forum’s initiator.

In a speech read out by his daughter Nurul Izzah, Malaysian member of parliament, Ibrahim insisted, “we must strive to stamp out bigotry and intolerance within ourselves. Islamophobia begins at home.

“Islamic resurgence is about ensuring the rule of law, clean government, social justice and cultural empowerment where women are not treated as second-class citizens ... and minorities are not marginalised,” he underlined.

The message from others, including Surin Pitsuwan, the former Asean secretary general who is from Thailand’s small Muslim minority, was that Muslim nations on the “periphery” should have the self-confidence to take ownership of Islam, to take the dominant narrative of the religion “away from the heartland”.

As economic power moves to Asia, the continent should also take the lead in crafting and disseminating a different narrative of a religion to challenge existing interpretations. As one participant put it, “let’s forget the Middle East for a while and focus on our priorities: good governance, education, science and technology.”

“Diversity of opinion is a blessing, we should be critical, curious and question,” said Pitsuwan. “There must be an open space for a dialogue among ourselves.”

Organised by the Habibie Centre in Indonesia, the Institute for Policy Research in Malaysia, the SETA think tank in Turkey and Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation, the Forum illustrated the importance of “track two” civil society initiatives in tackling much-needed global challenges.

The Forum is hoping to expand its membership but it’s not going to be easy. Authentic Muslim democrats are few and far between. And even the existing members face trouble at home.

Indonesia is clearly well-placed to lead the struggle for Islamic renewal given its largely positive record in transiting from dictatorship to democracy. But even as we met to discuss the role and challenges facing Muslim Democrats, Jakarta was on alert against terror attacks.

Human rights organisations warn against creeping intolerance in the country. There are sporadic attacks on churches and against the Ahmadis. Malaysia’s political troubles are worsening and Turkey under the leadership of Recip Tayyip Erdogan is slipping dangerously towards authoritarian rule.

The challenges are enormous. As Ibrahim underlined, many Muslim countries are poor, ruled by ruthless dictators and autocrats who act as “incubators of fanatics” whose only option is to blow themselves up.

But the meeting in Jakarta showed that the future need not be as dark as many predict, that Islam and Muslims can thrash out a new course for their religion and themselves. But it requires a fundamental shift in attitudes and mindsets.

The future of Islam’s renewal probably does lie in Asia and the non-Arab world. But for that to happen the region’s intellectuals, scholars and democrats will have to stop looking to the Middle East. Instead, they should consult and dialogue with each other more. And become more assertive and self-confident. If they succeed, the world could still become a more peaceful place.

—The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2015