Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue
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Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue January 2008 At the World Economic Forum: The views expressed in this publication Klaus Schwab Executive Chairman do not necessarily reflect those of Rick Samans Managing Director, World Economic Forum the World Economic Forum. Fiona Paua Head of Strategic Insight Teams Sherif El Diwany Director, Head Middle East and World Economic Forum North Africa, West and Islam Dialogue 91-93 route de la Capite Community (C-100) CH-1223 Cologny/Geneva Saman Ahsan Global Leadership Fellow, Manager, West Switzerland and Islam Dialogue Community (C-100) Tel.: +41 (0)22 869 1212 Alistair Senior Adviser, West and Islam Dialogue Fax: +41 (0)22 786 2744 Macdonald-Radcliff Community (C-100) E-mail: [email protected] www.weforum.org Editors: Nancy Tranchet World Economic Forum Dianna Rienstra Phoenix Ink Communications © 2008 World Economic Forum All rights reserved. Creative design: No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted Kamal Kimaoui World Economic Forum in any form or by any means, including photocopying and EKZE Geneva recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system. Report Partners Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue is a project of the World Economic Forum Community of West and Islam Dialogue (C-100). The Forum, a not-for-profit foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the global community of the formost business, political, faith, media and thought leaders addressing global challenges. The Community of West and Islam Dialogue (C-100) brings together Forum members and partners working together to promote dialogue and understanding across segments of society. President John J. DeGioia of Georgetown University is serving as lead author for the annual report. Located in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a global leader in the interdisciplinary study of religion and the promotion of interreligious understanding. Two of its research centres have provided academic oversight for the report project: The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; and the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim- Christian Understanding. Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue 2008 was produced in Partnership with: - HRH Prince Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz al Saud - Gallup Organization, USA - Kingdom Foundation, Saudi Arabia - Middle East Center for Peace and Economic Cooperation, USA - Xenel Group, Saudi Arabia Contents Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue Letter of Introduction 4 Preface 6 1. Introduction 8 2. The Gallup Muslim-West Dialogue Index 20 1 3. International Politics 28 Contents 4. Citizenship and Integration 42 5. Religion, Ethics, and Ideology 56 6. Education and Intercultural Understanding 72 7. Economic and Social Development 86 8. Media Coverage 102 9. Conclusions and Paths Forward 122 Annex 1 : Public Opinion on the State of Muslim West Dialogue 130 References 144 List of boxes Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue 1.1 West-Muslim Dialogue : A Critical Challenge Lord Carey of Clifton 11 1.2 The Meaning of Dialogue Karen Armstrong 12 1.3 The State of West-Islamic Dialogue HRH Princess Lolowah Alfaisal 16 1.4 A Dialogue for Results John L. Esposito 18 3.1 Three Simple Questions Jan Petersen 29 3.2 Rethinking Moderates and Extremists HRH Prince Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz al Saud 30 3.3 Public Dialogue Marc Gopin 32 3.4 West-Islamic Dialogue : What it is Really About HH Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned 35 3.5 The West and Islam : HE Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa 37 3 Challenge for a Meaningful Dialogue List of boxes 3.6 Excerpts : Address at the Annual Meeting of Tzipi Livni, Vice-Prime Minister 39 the World Economic Forum, January 2007 and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel 4.1 Islam in Europe : Ideals and Realities Mustafa Ceric 45 4.2 Respect Maria J.A. van der Hoeven 47 4.3 Civic Values Ismail Serageldin 48 4.4 The Imperative of Integration Daniel Sachs 50 4.5 The Imperative of Moderation and Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 53 Toleration in the Global Environment 5.1 Islam and the West : The Myth of the Great Dichotomy Anwar Ibrahim 58 5.2 Context and Continuity is Crucial Jane Dammen McAuliffe 61 5.3 Recapturing the Spirit of Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Rabbi David Rosen 63 5.4 Friendship Across the Great Divide Akbar Ahmed 64 5.5 The Circle of Dialogue Thomas Banchoff 67 5.6 Avoiding the “Clash of Civilizations” Jim Wallis 70 6.1 The Power of Dignity HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway 73 6.2 Commonalities Across Traditions Peter Bisanz 75 6.3 Islam and the West : The Internet Dimension Shimon Samuels 78 6.4 Young People : The Imperative Sheikha Hessa Al Khalifa 80 6.5 Dignity Day John Hope Bryant 83 7.1 Africa’s Plural Challenges Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala 88 7.2 Towards a Future with Hope and True Equity Katherine Marshall 91 7.3 Women, Intercultural Cooperation Mary Robinson 95 and Global Challenges 7.4 Who Speaks for Women in the Muslim-West Dialogue ? Ingrid Mattson 96 7.5 Information and the Internet : Eric Schmidt 99 Delivering Hope and Peace to the World Letter of Introductio Foreword Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue By Klaus Schwab, Trust is an essential currency of social Executive Chairman collaboration. Our success in addressing the global challenges of economic well-being, he remarkable feeling of proximity political relations and social peace is a function between people and nations is the of the degree of trust that nations and cultures T unmistakable reality of our globalized are able to sustain internationally. world. Encounters with other peoples’ ways of life, current affairs, politics, welfare and faiths While many nation states have made a great are more frequent than ever. We are not only deal of progress in building institutions of trust able to see other cultures more clearly, but within their borders, regrettably the level of also to see our differences more sharply. The public trust in global institutions is far from information intensity of modern life has made satisfactory. The current levels of international 4 this diversity of nations part of our every day conflict, the persistent perception of economic Letter of Introduction consciousness and has led to the centrality of and security threats, and the scale and level of culture in discerning our individual and collective violence all point to a severe deficit in trust views of the world. internationally. Our challenges have also become global. Perhaps the most specific and severe instance The destinies of nations have become deeply of this deficit in trust is found between the interconnected. No matter where in the world Western and Muslim communities. This deep we live, we are touched by the successes and division between Islam and the West is captured failures of today’s global order. Yet our responses by the low level of optimism reported in the to global problems remain vastly different, not 2007 Gallup Organization Survey of Population only as a result of rivalry and competing interests, Perceptions and Attitudes. The average score but largely because our cultural difference is for the 21 countries surveyed is 37 (where 100 the lens through which we see these global is the most optimistic), reflecting an alarmingly challenges. low level of optimism regarding dialogue between Islam and the West. In all but two countries Cultural diversity is not necessarily a source of surveyed (Bangladesh and Pakistan), a majority clashes and conflict. In fact, the proximity and believed the interaction between Western and cross-cultural encounters very often bring about Islamic communities is getting worse. creative change – a change that is made possible by well-organized social collaboration. This annual report, Islam and the West: Annual Collaboration across borders is growing Report on the State of Dialogue, published by primarily in the area of business and economic the World Economic Forum Community of West activity. Collaborative networks for innovation, and Islam Dialogue (C-100) is the first effort of production and distribution are emerging as its kind aimed at benchmarking the state of the single most powerful shaper of the global this dialogue. Its scope covers five dialogue economy. agenda items: international politics; citizenship on Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue and integration; religion, ethics and ideology; education International politics remain the single most visible issue and intercultural understanding; and economic and social shaping the dialogue between Islam and the West. However, development. It draws on a population perception survey, a citizenship and integration in Europe appear positioned to dialogue activity survey and a media content analysis. rapidly gain equal influence on the dialogue. More reporting on citizenship and integration was detected in Europe than The Forum trusts that this benchmarking study can bring in any other country or region covered by the media content to bear an intensification of efforts by global leaders from survey conducted in 2007. The role of European governments government, business, religion, media and academia to in granting citizenship rights, enforcing the law and uniting address the most pressing issues that will help to shape diverse communities is visibly reported in the European the dialogue positively. media, accounting for 62% of the coverage of this issue. The finalization of this annual report came at a period of The combined effects of the agenda setting impact of media 5 time when a sense of optimism surfaced following a number and the demographic shifts in Europe are bound to propel Letter of Introduction of exchanges between Muslim and Christian scholars. Vatican the issue of citizenship and integration to the centre of officials responded positively to the invitation to dialogue issued West-Islam dialogue in the coming years.