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

university’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Inter-Religious
Dialogue, aswellaslocaldialogueinitiatives.
Universities <strong>and</strong> research institutions are not just devoting
more resources to debate <strong>and</strong> dialogue around Muslim-
<strong>West</strong> issues. Scholars across disciplines are also exploring
dynamics of religious pluralism <strong>and</strong> peaceful interaction
across time <strong>and</strong> space, for example <strong>the</strong> multi-religious
experience of Muslim Spain, Ottoman Turkey <strong>and</strong>
Renaissance Ne<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>and</strong>s. One instance is <strong>the</strong> Berlin
Institute of Advanced Study’s hosting of a Working Group
on Modernity <strong>and</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> from 1996-2006. Funded by <strong>the</strong>
German Federal Ministry of Education <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> city-state of
Berlin, <strong>the</strong> Working Group brought world-class scholars
toge<strong>the</strong>r to examine <strong>Islam</strong>’s complex encounter with
diverse dimensions of modernity, including liberal democracy,
cultural individualism, nationalism <strong>and</strong> capitalism. In Spain,
efforts to bridge <strong>the</strong> academy-society divide include <strong>the</strong>
<strong>Islam</strong>ic Cultural Foundation’s day courses <strong>and</strong> lectures.
In <strong>the</strong> US, <strong>the</strong> Carnegie Corporation is a leader in efforts to
advance knowledge about <strong>Islam</strong>.
Political leaders across countries <strong>and</strong> faith traditions have
recognized <strong>the</strong> importance of education in fostering greater
knowledge of <strong>the</strong> “o<strong>the</strong>r” <strong>and</strong> overcoming hateful stereotypes.
At <strong>the</strong> World Economic Forum <strong>Annual</strong> Meeting in Davos in
January 2007, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni argued:
“Educational institutions need to create a generation of
peacemakers not of martyrs.” During a visit to Washington
DC in November 2007, <strong>the</strong> Sultan of Sokoto discussed
Christian-Muslim relations in his native Nigeria <strong>and</strong>
emphasized <strong>the</strong> importance of education geared to preparing
young people for jobs as pivotal to fostering harmonious
<strong>and</strong> productive social relationships.
As <strong>the</strong> above examples illustrate, national governments,
international organizations, <strong>and</strong> local authorities have
recognized <strong>the</strong> importance of intercultural underst<strong>and</strong>ing
<strong>and</strong> a role for educational <strong>and</strong> curricular reform. But o<strong>the</strong>r
institutions, more difficult to steer, also affect intercultural
<strong>and</strong> interfaith underst<strong>and</strong>ing in <strong>the</strong> contemporary world.
Perhaps <strong>the</strong> most important are <strong>the</strong> media <strong>and</strong> popular
culture.
The Media <strong>and</strong> Popular Culture
The media – primarily television <strong>and</strong> radio, newspapers,
magazines <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Internet – are powerful sources of
knowledge about different cultural <strong>and</strong> religious traditions,
as well as forums for <strong>the</strong> open exchange of ideas. Editors,
columnists, <strong>and</strong> talk show hosts play a critical role in shaping
broader society-wide dialogue. Some of <strong>the</strong> most creative
print journalists, including Thomas Friedman of <strong>the</strong> New
York Times <strong>and</strong> Raghida Dergham, who is featured in Al
Hayat, raiseissuesinprovocativewaysthatcanshift<strong>the</strong>
terms of debate. Television personalities including Oprah
Winfrey in <strong>the</strong> US <strong>and</strong> Amr Khaled in Egypt have huge
audiences. Khaled, in particular, has helped to bring Muslim-
<strong>West</strong> issues to <strong>the</strong> attention of a wider public in his native
Egypt <strong>and</strong> beyond.
“ One of <strong>the</strong> most dangerous
aspects of <strong>the</strong> Internet is its
capacity to harbour narrow
communities cut off from
broader sources of information;
communities where hatred
can flourish.”
Shimon Samuels
In practice, however, media outlets often feed consumers
oversimplified stereotypes that resonate with <strong>the</strong>ir own
preconceptions. The problem is particularly acute in <strong>the</strong>
Muslim-<strong>West</strong> context, where powerful images <strong>and</strong>
inflammatory commentary often have a polarizing effect.
As former US President Bill Clinton commented: “If we
could just get one story about that world [<strong>the</strong> moderate
constructive face of <strong>Islam</strong>] for every two bad stories that
inevitably have to be printed, because somebody’s getting
killed, we would all be way ahead.” Citizens appear to be
aware of <strong>the</strong> problem. In a 2006 study of <strong>West</strong>ern
countries by Communiqué Partners, 40% of respondents
considered portrayals of <strong>Islam</strong> only accurate about half <strong>the</strong>
time; for ano<strong>the</strong>r 31% it was less than half <strong>the</strong> time.
<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 Education <strong>and</strong> Intercultural Underst<strong>and</strong>ing
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