Alliance of Civilizations issues final report - Rejecting the notion of a clash of civilizations by UN News 1:59pm 13th Nov, 2006   13 November 2006 (UN News)    Rejecting the notion of a clash of civilizations or religions, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for better education and opportunities for youth, as well as the resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, to stem mounting mistrust and violence between Islam and the West.    “I believe it is imperative to work on both fronts at once – seeking both to improve social and cultural understanding between peoples, and at the same time to resolve political conflicts,” Mr. Annan said in Istanbul, Turkey upon accepting the final report of the High-Level Group of the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative he launched last year to tackle fear and suspicion between communities following a proposal by the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey.    The report puts forward a range of proposals in the area of education, media, youth and migration to build bridges and promote a culture of respect. It also calls for a UN High Representative to assist the Secretary-General to defuse crises that arise at the intersection of culture and politics, along with measures aimed at restarting the Middle East peace process and encouraging political pluralism in Muslim countries.    Religious differences were not at the core of the problem, Mr. Annan stressed. “We must start by reaffirming – and demonstrating – that the problem is not the Koran, nor the Torah or the Bible,” he said.    Legal measures to ensure freedom of religion, to end discrimination and enforce rights of minorities were also not the total answer, he added.    “Any strategy to build bridges must depend heavily on education – not just about Islam or Christianity, but about all religions, traditions and cultures, so that myths and distortions can be seen for what they are,” he said.    In addition, he called for increased opportunities for young people, offering them a credible alternative to the hate and extremism. “We must give them a real chance to join in improving the world order, so that they no longer feel the urge to smash it,” he said.    At the same time, Mr. Annan cautioned that such measures would have little impact if fear and suspicion continues to be fuelled by political conflicts in which Muslims are seen to be the victims of military action by non-Muslim powers – particularly the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.    “As long as the Palestinians live under occupation, exposed to daily frustration and humiliation; and, as long as Israelis are blown up in buses and in dance halls: so long will passions everywhere be inflamed,” he said.    Referring to the controversial depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspaper earlier this year and the violent reaction to them, Mr. Annan also reiterated his view that freedom of expression must be exercised with sensitivity, especially when dealing with symbols and traditions that are sacred to other people.    The High-Level Group is co-chaired by Mehmet Aydin, Minister of State of Turkey, and Federico Mayor, President of the Culture of Peace Foundation.    Participants include such international figures as Mohamed Khatami, the former Iranian president; Ali Alatas, Indonesia’s former Foreign Minister; South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the religious historian Karen Armstrong.    13/11/2006 (BBC News)    A cross-cultural group of 20 prominent world figures has called for urgent efforts to heal the growing divide between Muslim and Western societies. They say the chief causes of the rift are not religion or history, but recent political developments, notably the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.    The panel, drawn together by the UN, says a climate of mutual fear and stereotypes is worsening the problem. To combat hostility bred of ignorance, they want education and media projects.    The Alliance of Civilisations, dismisses the notion that a clash of civilisations is inevitable, but says that swift action is needed.    Their findings were presented in a report to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a ceremony in Istanbul on Monday morning. The group argues that the need to build bridges between Muslim and Western societies has never been greater.    They say that the critical symbol of discord is the Israeli-Palestinian, which, along with Western military interventions in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, contributes significantly to the growing sense of resentment and mistrust that mars relations among communities.    "Moreover, the perception of double standards in the application of international law and the protection of human rights is increasing resentment and the sense of vulnerability felt by many Muslims around the globe," the report said.    Globalisation"s downside    The experts call for renewed effort from the international community to resolve the Middle East crisis, along with an international conference aimed at reinvigorating the peace process and a UN-commissioned White Paper to properly analyse the situation in a dispassionate and objective manner.    In a separate development Israel"s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is in Washington for talks with President George W Bush on the conflict. The Alliance of Civilisations report also proposes appointing a high-level representative to work to diffuse tensions at times of crisis, to act as a cross-cultural voice of moderation.    It warns that globalisation is contributing to the discord, with many communities experiencing it as "an assault". "For them, the prospect of greater well-being has come at a high price, which includes cultural homogenisation, family dislocation, challenges to traditional lifestyles, and environmental degradation," the report said. "In this context, peoples who feel that they face persistent discrimination, humiliation, or marginalisation are reacting by asserting their identity more aggressively."    The report also suggests that the repression of non-violent political opposition and the slow pace of reforms in some Muslim countries is a key factor in the rise of extremism and calls for ruling parties there to allow the full participation of peaceful political groups, whether religious or secular in nature.    Youth education    It criticises the inflammatory language sometimes used by political and religious leaders and the effect such language can have when amplified by the media, urging leaders and shapers of public opinion promote understanding among cultures and mutual respect of religious belief and traditions.    The report"s authors argue that ignorance is the root cause of a good deal of hostility, so they also propose long-term media and youth education programmes and a focus on cultural ties. But the group makes it clear such schemes will have limited impact if the immediate political causes of tension are not addressed.    The Alliance of Civilisations report was written by prominent international figures from a variety of religions who have been meeting over the past year. It was created by Mr Annan with the mandate to propose a concrete plan of action to bridge the gap between increasingly polarised Muslim and Western societies and overcome mutual feelings of fear and suspicion. The UN initiative was co-sponsored by the prime ministers of predominantly Catholic Spain and Muslim Turkey.    Alliance of Civilzations- Final Report of the High Level Group.    Part I BRIDGING THE WORLD’S DIVIDES    1.1 Our world is alarmingly out of balance. For many, the last century brought unprecedented progress, prosperity, and freedom. For others, it marked an era of subjugation, humiliation and dispossession. Ours is a world of great inequalities and paradoxes: a world where the income of the planet’s three richest people is greater than the combined income of the world’s least developed countries; where modern medicine performs daily miracles and yet 3 million people die every year of preventable diseases; where we know more about distant universes than ever before, yet 130 million children have no access to education; where despite the existence of multilateral covenants and institutions, the international community often seems helpless in the face of conflict and genocide. For most of humanity, freedom from want and freedom from fear appear as elusive as ever.    1.2 We also live in an increasingly complex world, where polarized perceptions, fueled by injustice and inequality, often lead to violence and conflict, threatening international stability. Over the past few years, wars, occupation and acts of terror have exacerbated mutual suspicion and fear within and among societies. Some political leaders and sectors of the media, as well as radical groups have exploited this environment, painting mirror images of a world made up of mutually exclusive cultures, religions, or civilizations, historically distinct and destined for confrontation.    1.3 The anxiety and confusion caused by the “clash of civilizations” theory regrettably has distorted the terms of the discourse on the real nature of the predicament the world is facing. The history of relations between cultures is not only one of wars and confrontation. It is also based on centuries of constructive exchanges, cross-fertilization, and peaceful co-existence. Moreover, classifying internally fluid and diverse societies along hard-and-fast lines of civilizations interferes with more illuminating ways of understanding questions of identity, motivation and behavior. Rifts between the powerful and the powerless or the rich and the poor or between different political groups, classes, occupations and nationalities have greater explanatory power than such cultural categories. Indeed, the latter stereotypes only serve to entrench already polarized opinions. Worse, by promoting the misguided view that cultures are set on an unavoidable collision course, they help turn negotiable disputes into seemingly intractable identity-based conflicts that take hold of the popular imagination. It is essential, therefore, to counter the stereotypes and misconceptions that entrench patterns of hostility and mistrust among societies.    1.4 In this context, the need to build bridges between societies, to promote dialogue and understanding and to forge the collective political will to address the world’s imbalances has never been greater. This urgent task constitutes the raison d’ętre of the Alliance of Civilizations. Launched by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2005 on the co-sponsorship of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey, the Alliance of Civilizations affirms a broad consensus across nations, cultures and religions that all societies are bound together in their humanity and interdependent in their quest for stability, prosperity and peaceful co-existence.    1.5 The Alliance seeks to address widening rifts between societies by reaffirming a paradigm of mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious traditions and by helping to mobilize concerted action toward this end. This effort reflects the will of the vast majority of peoples to reject extremism in any society and support respect for religious and cultural diversity. To guide this initiative, the Secretary-General has established a High-level Group of eminent persons. This is their report.    On the basis of its analysis, it evaluates relations between diverse societies and examines the emergence of the contemporary trend toward extremism with special attention to relations between Western and Muslim societies, bearing in mind that such characterizations do not reflect the vast diversity within each. It recommends a practicable program of action for states (at national, regional, and local levels), international organizations, and civil society, which it hopes will assist in diminishing hostility and in promoting harmony among the nations and cultures of the world.    Click on the link below to access the complete report. Visit the related web page
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