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

<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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Economic <strong>and</strong> Social Development
housing, job training, <strong>and</strong> crime. It particularly
focused on addressing <strong>the</strong> influx of migrant
labour from Muslim majority countries,
including Turkey <strong>and</strong> Morocco. Housing, too,
is emerging as a critical development issue at
<strong>the</strong> local level open to interfaith approaches.
Since 2002, Habitat for Humanity Lebanon
has assisted displaced Lebanese families in
40 mixed Christian <strong>and</strong> Muslim communities in
<strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn part of <strong>the</strong> country, <strong>and</strong> similar
approaches are underway in Egypt.
One of <strong>the</strong> most far ranging recent efforts to
link Muslim identity with social <strong>and</strong> economic
welfare is India’s Sachar Commission, which
reported to <strong>the</strong> prime minister in November
2006. This commission report focused on
India’s Muslim community which, with more
than 150 million citizens, is among <strong>the</strong> world’s
largest. The commission focused on virtually
all aspects of life ranging from water to nutrition
to entrepreneurship to job prospects. It
documented that, “while <strong>the</strong>re is considerable
variation in <strong>the</strong> conditions of Muslims across
states, <strong>the</strong> community exhibits deficits <strong>and</strong>
deprivation in practically all dimensions of
development.”
The Sachar Commission’s work involved
numerous consultations <strong>and</strong> surveys <strong>and</strong> its
recommendations are an object of intensive
dialogue throughout India. Although not
without criticism from some elements of <strong>the</strong>
Muslim minority leadership in <strong>the</strong> nation, <strong>the</strong>
Sachar Commission’s extensive analysis as a
basis for its recommendations st<strong>and</strong>s as a
model among such efforts. In stressing <strong>the</strong>
importance of underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong> data <strong>and</strong>
often harsh realities facing <strong>the</strong> Muslim
community, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh argued, “one cannot wish away
differences merely by refusing to measure
<strong>the</strong>m.”
Efforts to address <strong>the</strong> HIV/AIDS p<strong>and</strong>emic
illustrate how both partnerships <strong>and</strong> dialogue
are taking new forms. Of particular interest are
three initiatives. The first is <strong>the</strong> well-documented
role of interfaith approaches to addressing <strong>the</strong>
HIV/AIDS p<strong>and</strong>emic in Senegal <strong>and</strong> Ug<strong>and</strong>a –
efforts that could not have succeeded without
<strong>the</strong> joint engagement of political <strong>and</strong> religious
leaders, including prominent Muslims. The
second <strong>and</strong> third are more recent efforts that
focus internationally on <strong>the</strong> Muslim world. The
UNDP-led conference in Cairo in 2006 was
seen as a breakthrough in dialogue on <strong>the</strong>
topic. The conference, marking <strong>the</strong> creation of
<strong>the</strong> First Network of Arab Religious Leaders
Responding to AIDS, includedrepresentatives
from more than 20 Arab countries bridging <strong>the</strong>
religious divide. <strong>Islam</strong>ic Relief organized a
meeting on <strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> AIDS in South Africa in
November 2007, marked by open discussion
about <strong>the</strong> key issues. These two events, <strong>and</strong>
o<strong>the</strong>rs like <strong>the</strong>m, demonstrate a greater
willingness to address stigma, <strong>the</strong> role of
condoms <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> social consequences of
HIV/AIDS in a forthright fashion – a new
development in most Muslim majority
countries, with <strong>the</strong> exception of Iran, which
has most openly addressed <strong>the</strong>se issues.
Migration <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> integration of migrant
communities have emerged as critical issues
at <strong>the</strong> intersection of religion, culture, <strong>and</strong>
economic <strong>and</strong> social development. Migration
can be in some circumstances a positive facet
of globalization, as people move freely to seek
new opportunities, but its manifold dark sides
involve pain, frustration <strong>and</strong> sometimes
desperation. Policies that affect migration are
on <strong>the</strong> dialogue agenda in many countries,
notably <strong>the</strong> United States <strong>and</strong> Europe.
The economic impact of migration has been
<strong>the</strong> subject of a long series of meetings,