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

Religion, Ethics <strong>and</strong>
5Religion, Ethics <strong>and</strong> Ideology
Since <strong>the</strong> turn of <strong>the</strong> millennium, religious, continued in this century in a more worrying
ethical <strong>and</strong> ideological questions have fashion. Two world wars, various regional
moved up <strong>the</strong> global political agenda. wars, <strong>the</strong> cold war, <strong>and</strong> new horrible forms of
In <strong>the</strong> context of relations at <strong>the</strong> intersection of terrorism were <strong>the</strong> most significant events
<strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Muslim World, <strong>the</strong> political which filled human life, from East to <strong>West</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
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Religion, Ethics <strong>and</strong> Ideology
tone has often been polarized. US President
George W. Bush, for example, marked <strong>the</strong> fifth
anniversary of <strong>the</strong> attacks of 9/11 with reflections
on <strong>Islam</strong>ic extremism.”Since <strong>the</strong> horror of 9/11,
we've learned a great deal about <strong>the</strong> enemy,”
he told a global television audience. “We have
learned that <strong>the</strong>y are evil <strong>and</strong> kill without mercy,
but not without purpose. We have learned
that <strong>the</strong>y form a global network of extremists
who are driven by a perverted vision of <strong>Islam</strong>:
atotalitarianideologythathatesfreedom,
rejects tolerance <strong>and</strong> despises all dissent.”
With a reference to a “perverted vision of <strong>Islam</strong>,”
Bush alluded to mainstream <strong>Islam</strong>’s opposition
to terrorism, a common <strong>the</strong>me in many of his
speeches. But in this particular address, on
<strong>the</strong> fifth anniversary of <strong>the</strong> attacks, his overall
tone was strident: “The war against this enemy
is more than a military conflict. It is <strong>the</strong> decisive
ideological struggle of <strong>the</strong> 21 st century <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>
calling of our generation… This struggle has
been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it
is a struggle for civilization.” In concluding, he
invoked “confidence in our purpose, <strong>and</strong> faith
in a loving God who made us to be free.”
Just two weeks earlier, Mohammed Khatami,
<strong>the</strong> former President of Iran <strong>and</strong> one of <strong>the</strong>
architects of <strong>the</strong> idea of a Dialogue of Civilizations,
cast <strong>the</strong> challenge in a different light. During
avisittoJapan,heportrayed<strong>the</strong>20 th century
as “<strong>the</strong> most violent episode of history.”
Unfortunately, he added, “<strong>the</strong> trend has
with unmasked violence.”
Like Bush, Khatami asserted that peaceful
majorities across cultures <strong>and</strong> religious traditions
are <strong>the</strong> rule. But he also launched a thinly veiled
attack on <strong>the</strong> US “war on terror” <strong>and</strong> invasion
of Iraq. “A surprising development in human
history is that <strong>the</strong> proponents of violence even
distort <strong>the</strong> message of peace <strong>and</strong> love, which
has been brought to humanity by religions <strong>and</strong>
cultures. They portray <strong>the</strong> use of force <strong>and</strong>
violence as a divine mission, trying to mobilize
<strong>the</strong> sentiments of <strong>the</strong>ir followers behind this
evil objective,” he said.
In 2006-2007, <strong>the</strong> rhetoric of global political
leaders, sharpened by ongoing international
political conflicts, was a backdrop that propelled
dialogue efforts among Muslims, Christians,
Jews <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r religious <strong>and</strong> secular citizens
at all levels of civil society – transnational,
national <strong>and</strong> local.
International Interfaith Dialogues
Khatami made his August 2006 remarks at a
major global dialogue in Kyoto, Japan: <strong>the</strong> Global
Assembly of World Council of Religions for
Peace (WCRP), one of <strong>the</strong> world’s major interfaith
organizations. The WCRP works to promote
dialogue at many levels, from community <strong>and</strong>
national groups in countries including Nigeria
<strong>and</strong> Serbia to periodic global assemblies that
articulate joint approaches to global challenges
including poverty, healthcare <strong>and</strong> education.