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

Letter of Introductio
<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
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Letter of Introduction
Foreword
By Klaus Schwab,
Executive Chairman
The remarkable feeling of proximity
between people <strong>and</strong> nations is <strong>the</strong>
unmistakable reality of our globalized
world. Encounters with o<strong>the</strong>r peoples’ ways of
life, current affairs, politics, welfare <strong>and</strong> faiths
are more frequent than ever. We are not only
able to see o<strong>the</strong>r cultures more clearly, but
also to see our differences more sharply. The
information intensity of modern life has made
this diversity of nations part of our every day
consciousness <strong>and</strong> has led to <strong>the</strong> centrality of
culture in discerning our individual <strong>and</strong> collective
views of <strong>the</strong> world.
Our challenges have also become global.
The destinies of nations have become deeply
interconnected. No matter where in <strong>the</strong> world
we live, we are touched by <strong>the</strong> successes <strong>and</strong>
failures of today’s global order. Yet our responses
to global problems remain vastly different, not
only as a result of rivalry <strong>and</strong> competing interests,
but largely because our cultural difference is
<strong>the</strong> lens through which we see <strong>the</strong>se global
challenges.
Cultural diversity is not necessarily a source of
clashes <strong>and</strong> conflict. In fact, <strong>the</strong> proximity <strong>and</strong>
cross-cultural encounters very often bring about
creative change – a change that is made
possible by well-organized social collaboration.
Collaboration across borders is growing
primarily in <strong>the</strong> area of business <strong>and</strong> economic
activity. Collaborative networks for innovation,
production <strong>and</strong> distribution are emerging as
<strong>the</strong> single most powerful shaper of <strong>the</strong> global
economy.
Trust is an essential currency of social
collaboration. Our success in addressing <strong>the</strong>
global challenges of economic well-being,
political relations <strong>and</strong> social peace is a function
of <strong>the</strong> degree of trust that nations <strong>and</strong> cultures
are able to sustain internationally.
While many nation states have made a great
deal of progress in building institutions of trust
within <strong>the</strong>ir borders, regrettably <strong>the</strong> level of
public trust in global institutions is far from
satisfactory. The current levels of international
conflict, <strong>the</strong> persistent perception of economic
<strong>and</strong> security threats, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> scale <strong>and</strong> level of
violence all point to a severe deficit in trust
internationally.
Perhaps <strong>the</strong> most specific <strong>and</strong> severe instance
of this deficit in trust is found between <strong>the</strong>
<strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> Muslim communities. This deep
division between <strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> is captured
by <strong>the</strong> low level of optimism reported in <strong>the</strong>
2007 Gallup Organization Survey of Population
Perceptions <strong>and</strong> Attitudes. The average score
for <strong>the</strong> 21 countries surveyed is 37 (where 100
is <strong>the</strong> most optimistic), reflecting an alarmingly
low level of optimism regarding dialogue between
<strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>. In all but two countries
surveyed (Bangladesh <strong>and</strong> Pakistan), a majority
believed <strong>the</strong> interaction between <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong>
<strong>Islam</strong>ic communities is getting worse.
This annual report, <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, publishedby
<strong>the</strong> World Economic Forum Community of <strong>West</strong>
<strong>and</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> Dialogue (C-100) is <strong>the</strong> first effort of
its kind aimed at benchmarking <strong>the</strong> state of
this dialogue. Its scope covers five dialogue
agenda items: international politics; citizenship