VIENNA, April 24: Muslim clerics in Austria representing a 340,000-strong community on Sunday denounced terrorism and called for equality between men and women during a conference here. A spokesman for Austria’s Muslim community, Omar Al Rawi, told the Austrian news agency APA, the meeting’s declaration highlighted that the large majority of Muslims were opposed to terrorism.

The declaration stated that the “public were more and more making an unacceptable association between Islam and terrorism, putting Muslims under increasing pressure to justify themselves” on this point.

“Terrorism is not a phenomenon which is exclusively Islamic,” said the declaration.

The declaration also calls for an improvement in the rights of women.

“We must develop projects to overcome phenomena such as the restrictions on education for women and forced marriages,” the declaration said.

“Man and women are equal in their value and in their rights and duties.”

“Rights must be guaranteed for women as they are for men so that they can become independent and realise their personal goals,” it said.—AFP