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

The Millennium Development Goals, with <strong>the</strong>ir benchmarks
for reducing poverty <strong>and</strong> improving healthcare <strong>and</strong> education,
are critically important for those Muslims in developing
countries who find <strong>the</strong>mselves within what <strong>the</strong> economist
Paul Collier recently called <strong>the</strong> “bottom billion.” The OIC,
<strong>the</strong> IDB <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>Islam</strong>ic institutions aiming to promote
economic development focus special attention on this
group. The IDB plans to launch a major new initiative
focused on human development among its poorest
member states early in 2008.
An issue that emerges frequently in dialogue related to
economic <strong>and</strong> social development is gender. Cultural
sensitivities abound within a highly polarized debate. <strong>West</strong>ern
criticisms of a lack of equality or limited opportunity for
women in Muslim majority countries are at times dismissed
as inappropriate or misinformed. The Women Leaders’
Intercultural Forum (WLIF) <strong>and</strong> Sisters in <strong>Islam</strong> are
examples of dedicated efforts to combine advocacy for
women with dialogue on sensitive topics seen so differently
from different perspectives <strong>and</strong> to build on <strong>the</strong> commonalities
that clearly exist.
The WLIF convened a global conference in Amman, Jordan
in December 2007, which focused on ways to link women’s
leadership to global security challenges. The former
president of Irel<strong>and</strong>, Mary Robinson, a co-chair of <strong>the</strong>
conference, lauded <strong>the</strong> wide, international representation
of women coming toge<strong>the</strong>r under <strong>the</strong> programme’s initiative
to “transform <strong>the</strong> conversation about security at <strong>the</strong>
international, national <strong>and</strong> local levels into one that more
effectively bridges current cultural, generational, religious,
<strong>and</strong> sectoral boundaries.”
National <strong>and</strong> Local Initiatives
Issues of economic <strong>and</strong> social exclusion have also become
an object of dialogue at <strong>the</strong> national level in <strong>West</strong>ern
countries <strong>and</strong> in <strong>the</strong> Muslim world. In <strong>the</strong> European Union,
<strong>the</strong> Muslim minority appears to be more concerned about
economic opportunity than about cultural or religious
restrictions. In polls, unemployment is consistently <strong>the</strong> top
concern for Muslims, far outpacing topics such as <strong>the</strong>
decline in religious observance <strong>and</strong> Muslim women taking
on modern roles. The Pew Global Attitudes Survey of 2006
found that unemployment registered as a worry (very or
somewhat) for 78% of Muslims in Great Britain, 84% in
France, 81% in Germany <strong>and</strong> 83% in Spain.
Social tensions everywhere can be exacerbated by a vicious
circle where lack of job opportunities accentuates community
tensions <strong>and</strong> education systems do not prepare <strong>the</strong> young
for contemporary job markets. Under such circumstances,
ethnic <strong>and</strong> religious tensions with long histories can fester
<strong>and</strong> grow.
Virtually all countries where Muslims <strong>and</strong> non-Muslims work
<strong>and</strong> go to school side-by-side are witnessing a creative
spate of conferences <strong>and</strong> programmes focused on practical
issues around community development. To cite just two
examples, <strong>the</strong> Association of <strong>Islam</strong>ic Cultural Centers
in Germany (Verb<strong>and</strong> der <strong>Islam</strong>ischen Kulturzentren e.V.)
focuses on education of Muslim youth born in in <strong>the</strong> country.
Culture, as defined by <strong>the</strong> association, is construed broadly
to include practical <strong>and</strong> vocational knowledge that translates
into upward economic mobility.
Malaysia’s Open Dialogue Centre, establishedin2005,has
similarly organized events on youth empowerment in <strong>the</strong>
promotion of freedom <strong>and</strong> democracy in <strong>the</strong> light of <strong>the</strong>
development challenges facing youth in an increasingly
globalized economy. As <strong>the</strong> centre’s mission statement
notes: “Youth's participation can offer additional information,
alternative perspectives, <strong>and</strong> potential solutions to
problems <strong>and</strong> aid in policymaking. This will also help to
rebuild societal cohesion by identifying <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong>ing
ways for people to come toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> respond to
changes.”
Often dialogue efforts linked to economic <strong>and</strong> social
development centre on <strong>the</strong> local level. One example was
<strong>the</strong> observations <strong>and</strong> recommendations of <strong>the</strong> European
Municipal Network meeting focused on community
reconciliation in Amsterdam in August 2007. A collaboration
with <strong>the</strong> International Center for Conciliation, <strong>the</strong>
meeting grew out of a concern with practical issues that
community <strong>and</strong> municipal leaders had raised, including
<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 Economic <strong>and</strong> Social Development
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