RIYADH — Europe must do more to assimilate Muslim immigrant populations and criminalize religious hate speech, said the head of a global Islamic missionary organization based in Saudi Arabia.

The Muslim World League (MWL) and the Kingdom itself have been accused for decades of spreading an austere strain of Islam, often criticized as the philosophical basis for the Islamist militancy worldwide.

MWL Secretary-General Mohammed Al-Issa said the organization, headquartered in Makkah, could assist in assimilation and the eradication of extremist ideology abroad.

«We believe that European countries, where there is much debate now, and other countries around the world ... need to enhance national assimilation programs and criminalize hatred and contempt for adherents of religions because this threatens the safety of the community,» he told Reuters in an interview.

«The League has programs and curricula that enhance national assimilation and which can courageously and forcefully confront all forms of extremism, as well as special programs to thwart efforts to infiltrate the Muslim community.»

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has traced some of the Kingdom›s most restrictive practices to 1979, the year of the Shiite revolution in Iran and an attack on the Grand Mosque in Makkah by extremists.

He has loosened social restrictions in the past two years, scaling back the role of the religious police and allowing women more independence, including the right to launch their own businesses and drive a car.

Issa, who also sits on the Council of Senior Scholars, said there was no reason why women should be barred from obtaining a passport or travel without the consent of a male guardian.

«The intention of Shariah must be understood within religious texts ... and we must understand that fatwas (religious decrees) differ according to various times, places and circumstances,» he said.

«A woman can nowadays travel anywhere safely and therefore I cannot tell her that she cannot travel ... This may take time for individuals to accept but, from a legal perspective, this does not require time.» He said women would still be required to obtain their guardian›s consent for marriage in order to «safeguard» society and families. — Reuters