Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue

<strong>and</strong> values, as well as to listen <strong>and</strong> to learn. It is a way to
persuade o<strong>the</strong>rs of <strong>the</strong> rightness of one’s cause <strong>and</strong> to
build coalitions around common, practical projects.
Dialogue can be transformative. It can promote new
perspectives that ei<strong>the</strong>r ease or exacerbate conflict – not
in isolation, but in combination with broader political,
economic <strong>and</strong> social forces.
“ There is no point in dialogue
if we are not prepared to
change our minds, alter our
preconceptions <strong>and</strong> transcend
an orthodoxy that we have long
ceased to examine critically.”
Karen Armstrong
Dialogue as <strong>the</strong> exchange of ideas oriented to action
involves communication among individuals <strong>and</strong> groups,
public <strong>and</strong> private, religious <strong>and</strong> secular. Such exchanges
may include face-to-face encounters or an exchange of
views at a distance. They engage a variety of participants,
including religious leaders, elected officials, civil servants,
representatives of non-governmental organizations,
scholars, members of <strong>the</strong> professions of law <strong>and</strong> medicine,
<strong>the</strong> business community <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r citizens.
Over time, dialogue within <strong>and</strong> across <strong>the</strong>se groups has
<strong>the</strong> potential to increase knowledge <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ing,
build relationships, establish trust <strong>and</strong> foster collaboration.
But it can also lead to nothing – to mere talk or, even
worse, to exchanges of accusation <strong>and</strong> counter-
accusation that make relations worse.
Dialogue does not take place in a power vacuum. Dialogue
between <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Muslim world is conditioned by
military, political <strong>and</strong> economic asymmetries. The material
predominance of <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> too often tends to shape <strong>the</strong>
dialogue agenda. The implication, stated or unstated, is
that <strong>the</strong> Muslim world should become “more like us”. Any
dialogue – including Muslim-<strong>West</strong> dialogue – will often
involve efforts to change <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, consciously or not.
People with strong ethical convictions, religious or secular
in inspiration, try to build a world more in keeping with
those convictions.
But efforts to transform <strong>the</strong> world, however peaceful, never
take place on a completely level playing field. Any analysis
of dialogue between Muslims <strong>and</strong> non-Muslims must take
into consideration power asymmetries <strong>and</strong> how <strong>the</strong>y shape
agendas <strong>and</strong> frame issues. To give one example: many
dialogue efforts pose <strong>the</strong> question whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>Islam</strong> is
compatible with democracy. The question whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong>
how democracy measures up to <strong>the</strong> ideals of <strong>Islam</strong> rarely
frames <strong>the</strong> debate.
“State of <strong>the</strong> dialogue” in this report title refers not just to
dialogue activities. It also encompasses perceptions of <strong>the</strong>
state of <strong>West</strong>-Muslim relations in global public opinion <strong>and</strong>
in <strong>the</strong> global media. In an era of globalization <strong>and</strong> instant
communications, public opinion polls followed closely by
elites in politics, business <strong>and</strong> civil society reproduce
widespread views of <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> Muslim “o<strong>the</strong>r” <strong>and</strong>
<strong>the</strong>ir interrelationship.
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Internet
depict topics related to <strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> with varying
frequency <strong>and</strong> with both positive <strong>and</strong> negative evaluations.
This report draws on original polling data <strong>and</strong> media
content analysis to discern national trends in <strong>the</strong>
perception <strong>and</strong> representation of Muslim-<strong>West</strong> relations.
Dialogue Around Five Issue Areas
This report focuses on dialogue around five issue areas:
• International politics.
• Citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration.
• Religion, ethics <strong>and</strong> ideology.
• Education <strong>and</strong> intercultural underst<strong>and</strong>ing.
• Economic <strong>and</strong> social development.
International Politics
Dialogue at <strong>the</strong> intersection of <strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> is
informed by <strong>the</strong> critical international political issues of <strong>the</strong>
day. The balance of military <strong>and</strong> economic power <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>
<strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>: <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on <strong>the</strong> State of Dialogue Introduction
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