ROME (RNS) Magdi Allam, the former Muslim whose baptism as a Catholic by Pope Benedict XVI made world news earlier this year, has started a political party to promote “Judeo-Christian” values in Europe.

Allam made the announcement Monday (Dec. 1) at a press conference in Rome.

The party, “Protagonists for Christian Europe,” will present candidates for the June 2009 elections to the European Parliament and seeks to promote a “model of coexistence based on respect for fundamental human rights and shared, non-negotiable values,” Allam said.

Among the values that Allam cited as non-negotiable were the sacredness of human life, the security of Israel, equality between the sexes, and religious liberty. He pledged to fight against “relativism,” “Islamic extremism,” and a “savage capitalism sponsored by the Chinese Communist regime.”

Denying that his new party is “anti-Islamic,” Allam said he welcomed the participation of Muslims and all other Europeans of “good will.”

Yet he denounced what he characterized as inappropriate European acceptance of Muslim customs, including a recent decision in Britain to recognize traditional Sharia courts as arbitrators with legally binding powers.

A native of Egypt, Allam has been an outspoken critic of Muslim intolerance of Christianity and other faiths, and his baptism by Pope Benedict in St. Peter’s Basilica on the day before Easter this year drew complaints from some Muslim leaders.

He later wrote a book about his conversion, entitled “Thank You, Jesus.”

Until recently vice-director of Corriere Della Sera, one of Italy’s leading newspapers, Allam has resigned from that position in order to lead his new party, he said.