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

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<strong>and</strong> integration; religion, ethics <strong>and</strong> ideology; education
<strong>and</strong> intercultural underst<strong>and</strong>ing; <strong>and</strong> economic <strong>and</strong> social
development. It draws on a population perception survey, a
dialogue activity survey <strong>and</strong> a media content analysis.
The Forum trusts that this benchmarking study can bring
to bear an intensification of efforts by global leaders from
government, business, religion, media <strong>and</strong> academia to
address <strong>the</strong> most pressing issues that will help to shape
<strong>the</strong> dialogue positively.
The finalization of this annual report came at a period of
time when a sense of optimism surfaced following a number
of exchanges between Muslim <strong>and</strong> Christian scholars. Vatican
officials responded positively to <strong>the</strong> invitation to dialogue issued
by Muslim scholars. A few days earlier, <strong>the</strong> King of Saudi
Arabia held a historic meeting with <strong>the</strong> Pope at <strong>the</strong> Vatican.
The significance of <strong>the</strong>se exchanges stems from <strong>the</strong>ir emphasis
on <strong>the</strong> value of expressing respect toward <strong>the</strong> “o<strong>the</strong>r.”
Such developments are particularly important given <strong>the</strong>
“asymmetry in respect” detected by <strong>the</strong> Gallup Organization’s
survey of Population Perceptions <strong>and</strong> Attitudes. The survey
notes that while on average 65% of respondents in Muslim
majority countries say Muslims respect <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>, 60% feel that
<strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> does not respect Muslims. On average, 60% of
Americans <strong>and</strong> Europeans agree. Continuation of such confidence
building exchanges is <strong>the</strong>refore certainly needed to improve <strong>the</strong>
state of <strong>the</strong> dialogue between <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> <strong>Islam</strong>ic communities.
An important finding worthy of our close attention is <strong>the</strong>
advent of <strong>the</strong> citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration issue as <strong>the</strong> second
most powerful shaper of <strong>the</strong> state of dialogue between <strong>the</strong>
<strong>West</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> after international politics. The potency of
<strong>the</strong> citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration issue is especially clear in
Europe. An overwhelming majority of <strong>the</strong> surveyed populations
in Europe believe that greater interaction between <strong>Islam</strong>
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> is a threat. This is in contrast to <strong>the</strong> US,
where <strong>the</strong> opposite view is held by 70% of its population.
International politics remain <strong>the</strong> single most visible issue
shaping <strong>the</strong> dialogue between <strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>. However,
citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration in Europe appear positioned to
rapidly gain equal influence on <strong>the</strong> dialogue. More reporting
on citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration was detected in Europe than
in any o<strong>the</strong>r country or region covered by <strong>the</strong> media content
survey conducted in 2007. The role of European governments
in granting citizenship rights, enforcing <strong>the</strong> law <strong>and</strong> uniting
diverse communities is visibly reported in <strong>the</strong> European
media, accounting for 62% of <strong>the</strong> coverage of this issue.
The combined effects of <strong>the</strong> agenda setting impact of media
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> demographic shifts in Europe are bound to propel
<strong>the</strong> issue of citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration to <strong>the</strong> centre of
<strong>West</strong>-<strong>Islam</strong> dialogue in <strong>the</strong> coming years. The percentage
of Muslim population in <strong>the</strong> EU-15 is expected to rise from
4.3% in 2006 to approximately 10% to 15% by 2025, with
ahigherconcentrationinurbanareasofupto30%incountries
such as France, Germany <strong>and</strong> Holl<strong>and</strong>. By inference, any
deterioration on <strong>the</strong> international political front, or dispute on
<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r agenda issues, will be felt most severely in Europe.
The World Economic Forum believes that like all o<strong>the</strong>r
global challenges, it will take <strong>the</strong> collaborative effort of all
stakeholders from government, business, religion, media,
academia <strong>and</strong> civil society to pre-empt any crisis, create
alliances <strong>and</strong> find solutions. Over <strong>the</strong> course of 2008, <strong>the</strong>
Community of <strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> Dialogue will invite
leaders from various walks of life to engage in a concerted
dialogue <strong>and</strong> debate of <strong>the</strong> most important issues, in
particular <strong>the</strong> area of citizenship <strong>and</strong> integration.
This first <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 has clearly helped to define in more precise
terms <strong>the</strong> issues that are shaping <strong>the</strong> dialogue. The World
Economic Forum is most grateful to all <strong>the</strong> partners who
have made this achievement possible, but especially to
Dr John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University,
who has taken <strong>the</strong> lead as its principal author.
<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 Letter of Introduction
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