the
spirit that he said unites peoples across the globe.
He
said that since the 9/11 attacks "many Muslims, particularly in
the West, have found themselves the objects of suspicion, harassment
and discrimination."
"Too
many people see Islam as a monolith and as intrinsically opposed to
the West," he said.
"Caricature
remains widespread and the gulf of ignorance is dangerously
deep."
The
event is the second of a series entitled "Unlearning
Intolerance", organized by the Educational Outreach Section in
the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public
Information (DPI).
As
its name suggests, the series offers opportunities to discuss the
effect of intolerance, wherever it exists and for whatever reason.
The
seminar will be held in the UN headquarters, with panelists including
eminent writers, scholars, theologians and experts on Islamophobia and
other issues related to tolerance and education.
Open
Discussions
After
Anna’s opening statement, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, University Professor
of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, will deliver a
keynote address.
There
will then be panel discussions offering different perspectives on
Islamophobia, the role of education in fostering tolerance and
understanding, and on ideas for confronting Islamophobia more
effectively.
These
discussions will allow the audience and the panelists to make comments
and pose questions.
In
the afternoon, the panelists will join in an overview of the day’s
discussions and further interact with the audience and each other.
The
panelists include Ahmed Kamal Aboulmagd, a professor of Public Law,
Cairo University; Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal; Member of
the Academy of Islamic Research of Azhar, Cairo.
John
L. Esposito, a university professor and founding director of the
Georgetown University Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding, will
also show up for the event.
Hany
El-Banna, the president of the London-based Islamic Relief and Asma
Gull Hasan, the author of "Why I Am a Muslim";
"American Muslims: The New Generation" will be also there.
Islam
'Exhibition'
A
photo exhibition titled "ISLAM", by renowned Iranian
photographer Abbas, will be open to the public on the same day at the
Visitors’ Entrance to UN headquarters.
This
exhibition of his work is arranged by DPI in collaboration with Magnum
Photos.
On
the day of the seminar the International Film Festival for High School
Students in New York will screen the film "Journey to the
Sun" at the United Nations Dag Hammarskj
ld
Library Auditorium.
Directed
by the young cinematographer, Yesim Ustaoglu, this award-winning film
chronicles the story of friendship between two people and their
understanding of human suffering caused by racial and ethnic
intolerance.
The
Islamophobia seminar comes more than two weeks after a UN General
Assembly committee approved for the first time a resolution decrying
an increase in anti-Semitism along with rising intolerance and
violence directed at other religions.
However,
observers have raised concerns that no other resolutions were approved
by the world organization on hatred directed to religions other than
Judaism.
The
DPI launched the "Unlearning Intolerance" series at the
mid-point of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and
Non-Violence for the Children of the World, proclaimed by the General
Assembly in 1998.
The
first seminar of the series, held on 21 June, was on confronting
anti-Semitism.
