The Divide Between Islam and The West
Over the last few years, the simmering discontent among the world’s Muslim community at actions taken by the West in the fight against terrorism is because of the perception that it was aimed directly against them. This has slowly as a consequence given way to unbridled anger and animosity. The tragedy of 9/11 acted as a catalyst that triggered a series of events that not only tarnished the image of Muslims but also of Islam. With almost one-fifths of the world’s population of 6.5 billion, after 9/11 Islam became projected as a radical faith whose followers were highly intolerant of all other faiths and ideologies. Muslims were branded as fanatics, an image shaped by the extreme actions of a miniscule minority that exists on the fringes of religious societies of all ilk. Neither Islam nor the muslim world is seen as it should be according to the progressive values of the faith. Islam is not a radical faith – this is patently false and erroneous. The progressive values of the faith are quite different from what the world hears today. Islam preaches tolerance, leniency, love, forgiveness and understanding etc. Muslims in general have not committed any transgressions, the sins of a handful of terrorists of Osama bin Laden’s terror network are being visited upon their Muslim brethren. Concurrently the popularity of the USA has taken a severe beating, becoming the focus of muslim anger despite being in the forefront of giving aid and lending a helping hand to the world’s deprived and the prosecuted irrespective of caste, creed, religion or any other consideration. Muslims now view the USA with suspicion and hostility because the policies being pursued by the US seem to be singularly insensitive to muslim sensitivities. Thankfully, US President Bush now seems to have taken note of the situation and is making an effort to bridge the gap.
The situation was tailor-made for the OIC and the Arab League to play a meaningful role in solving problems faced by the Islamic world and fostering understanding between the Muslims and the West. However all such expectations remain unfulfilled. One has no desire to delve into the reasons behind their inaction, today we stand at historic crossroads which may create a divide that will widen as reaction and counter-reaction sets in. If this chasm becomes impossible to bridge, only innocents will get caught in the crossfire. There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric. All political, religious, intellectual leaders, etc should reach out to each other, the various governments endeavoring to do what they can.
Muna Abu Sulayman of Kingdom Holdings Company, Saudi Arabia; Khalid A. Alireza, Chairman, Xenel/Saudi Cable Company, Saudi Arabia, Geda Condit, Owner, Storybook Partners, USA; Heba Raouf Ezzat, Lecturer, Cairo University, Egypt; Katherine Marshall, Director and Counsellor to the President, World Bank, Washington DC; Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland; Jan Petersen, Member of Parliament, Norway, Rabbi David Rosen, President, The International Jewish Committee for Inter-religious Relations; Abdullah O. Nasseef, President World Muslim Congress, Saudi Arabia and others. C-100 comprises leaders of all faiths who act as a clearinghouse for action-oriented projects for advancement of Islamic-Western reconciliation. It seeks to engage societies in the West and in countries with predominantly Muslim populations at multiple levels with the following objectives, viz (1) to improve mutual understanding within and across cultures; to address key misunderstandings and the forces that spawn and drive discord; to promote cooperation based on mutual respect.
The objectives of C-100 is done through two tracks, viz (1) Track One: Discourse – sustaining in-depth dialogue: It facilitates dialogue between WEF members during its Annual Meetings that help to strengthen bonds of C-100 members into a community and provide the analytical basis upon which they choose which projects to pursue together. (2) Track Two: Projects – catalyzing cooperative action: The C-100 recognizes that many organizations are actively involved in building Islamic-Western cooperation and it supports existing and new projects that could benefit from exposure to the Forum’s unique network.
After the rather insensitive remarks of the Pope and the continuing muslim reaction to what is transparently a “technical” apology, one must propose (3) Track Three : Education of the leaders and intellectuals in the west about Islam and what it stands for and what it does not. A sample document must be prepared and circulated among decision-makers that the religions are not different in beliefs, only in practice, to dispel misconceptions and false perceptions, to make a deliberate effort to reducing escalating animosity. The pope’s invitation to ambassadors of Muslim countries for an interactive dialogue is a welcome step in the process.
The C-100 initiative promotes understanding and dialogue between the two worlds and provides an environment that is conducive for leaders of varying backgrounds to engage in collaborative problem-solving.
The environment is fast deteriorating where many in the West perceive muslims as being fanatical, violent and as lacking tolerance and where muslims in the Middle East and Asia generally see Westerners as being selfish, immoral and greedy – as well as violent and fanatical, the C-100 can make a huge difference as it has the potential to be the instrument that brings about better understanding between the two societies.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment