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

Box 3.5
The <strong>West</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> :
Challenge for a Meaningful Dialogue
HE Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa
HE Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain is an eminent legal scholar. In June 2006 she was elected
President of <strong>the</strong> 61st session of <strong>the</strong> UN General Assembly.
“Clash of civilizations” or “dialogue among civilizations” are terms that seek to capture <strong>West</strong>-<strong>Islam</strong>ic relations. While
<strong>the</strong>y risk over-generalization, each has some validity. <strong>Islam</strong>ophobia is on <strong>the</strong> rise in many <strong>West</strong>ern countries, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>re
is a comparable increase in several <strong>Islam</strong>ic societies in labelling non-Muslims as infidels, <strong>and</strong> dismissing <strong>the</strong>ir traditions
<strong>and</strong> ways of life. Calls for tolerance, coexistence <strong>and</strong> dialogue between <strong>the</strong> <strong>Islam</strong>ic <strong>and</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern worlds proliferate on
both sides.
To be meaningful, such dialogue will have to extend beyond elite <strong>and</strong> intellectual circles. It is vital to move from mere
rhetoric to action that creates <strong>the</strong> appropriate social <strong>and</strong> political environment for tolerance <strong>and</strong> coexistence to flourish.
The main challenge is to recognize that we face problems on both sides.
Most Muslims see a state of crisis within <strong>the</strong> <strong>Islam</strong>ic World. Nationally, societies face identity crises, political instability,
corruption, <strong>and</strong> economic inequalities – not to mention rival claims of religious legitimacy. Regionally, intra-state relations
are characterized by competition <strong>and</strong> suspicion.
Internationally, relationships between <strong>the</strong> region <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> are seen as dominated by economic, political, military
<strong>and</strong> ideological weakness <strong>and</strong> dependency. A collective feeling of injustice <strong>and</strong> prejudice is fuelled predominantly by
<strong>the</strong> unresolved Palestinian question.
Faced with this constellation <strong>and</strong> with <strong>the</strong> failure of secular ideologies once applied within a Muslim context, such as
Marxism <strong>and</strong> liberalism, more <strong>and</strong> more Muslims have come to see <strong>Islam</strong> as <strong>the</strong> ultimate way to transform <strong>the</strong> status quo.
The end result is a challenge that views universalism with suspicion <strong>and</strong> places struggle within an historic, nationalistic
<strong>and</strong> religious framework.
<strong>West</strong>ern circles rarely recognize <strong>the</strong>se complex cultural, historical, <strong>and</strong> religious realities. They tend to view Muslim
conduct in isolation from <strong>the</strong> global crises that have wracked <strong>the</strong> Middle East <strong>and</strong> to focus narrowly on political <strong>Islam</strong>
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> stereotype of its resistance to modernity.
We are entering a vicious cycle marked by Muslim-<strong>West</strong> divisions, a crisis of universalism in which reactions on both
sides feed nationalism <strong>and</strong> isolation. Each side needs to work harder to underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “o<strong>the</strong>r” <strong>and</strong> accept that engagement
in a constructive dialogue requires a willingness to criticize <strong>the</strong> “self” <strong>and</strong> alter behaviour accordingly. A modest attitude,
with no state or civilization claiming ideological hegemony, is essential.
The <strong>West</strong> needs to revise current policies toward <strong>the</strong> Middle East. The Muslim world needs to revive <strong>and</strong> encourage
schools of thought that interpret doctrine on <strong>the</strong> basis of reason <strong>and</strong> in light of contemporary global challenges. The
relationship between an overbearing state <strong>and</strong> a passive society in many Muslim-majority countries must be recalibrated.
These are prerequisites for a constructive dialogue that can move beyond <strong>the</strong> elite level, overcome mutual suspicions
<strong>and</strong> lay foundations for peaceful coexistence.
<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 International Politics
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