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"We may wish to think of the
Arab -Israeli conflict as just one regional conflict among many.
But it is not," said Annan. (Reuters)
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CAIRO — The yawning
divide between Islam and the West does not
have its roots in religious differences but
rather political conflicts, particularly the
continued Israel occupation of Palestine, a
galaxy of world-renowned scholars, politicians
and religious leaders said in a report
presented to the UN Monday, November 13.
"Neither ancient
history nor religious differences are
responsible for present tensions between
Western and Muslim populations,"
concludes the High-level Group of the Alliance
of Civilizations.
"The
Israeli-Palestinian issue has become a key
symbol of the rift between Western and Muslim
societies and remains one of the gravest
threats to international stability," it
stressed.
UN Secretary-General who
received the report at a ceremony in Istanbul
on Monday.
"We may wish to think
of the Arab -Israeli conflict as just one
regional conflict among many. But it is
not," he said.
"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
dances halls, so long will passions everywhere
be inflamed."
The Alliance of
Civilizations initiative was launched in
November 2005 by Spain and Turkey.
The High-level Group was
appointed by Annan a year ago to explore ways
of addressing the increasing polarization
between Muslim and Western societies.
It comprises 20 prominent
international figures from a variety of
religions including Iran 's former president
Mohammed Khatami, former French foreign
minister Hubert Vedrine, South Africa's
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Arthur Schneier,
Senior Rabbi of Park East Synagogue.
The report crowns a
year-long process in which the Group had three
main meetings – in Spain, Qatar and Senegal
– as well as a working session in New York.
Double Standards
The report also said that
double-standard policies were fueling the
growing divide between Muslim and Western
societies.
"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."
Washington drew fire from
across the Muslim world Saturday, November 11,
for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution
that would have condemned the Israeli killing
of twenty Palestinian civilians, including
eight children and four women in the northern
Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun.
During an emergency meeting
Sunday, November 12, infuriated Arab foreign
ministers voiced their "utmost
indignation" at the American veto.
As one of the council's
five permanent members along with Britain,
China, France and Russia, the US has veto
power which it has now used 82 times,
including 41 times to shield Israel from
censure.
Its previous use of the
veto was in July to block a draft resolution
that would have condemned Israel's military
onslaught in Gaza as "disproportionate
force" and would have demanded a halt to
Israeli operations in the impoverished
territory.
Washington had also blocked
international efforts to enforce an immediate
ceasefire in Israel's war on Lebanon.
Invasions
The world dignitaries also
heaped blame on military interventions into
Muslim countries.
"Western military
operations in Muslim countries contribute to a
growing climate of fear and animosity that is
spreading around the world," they said in
their report.
"The spiraling death
toll in Iraq and the ongoing conflict in
Afghanistan help swell the ranks of terrorist
groups."
A recently comprehensive
National Intelligence report, representing a
consensus view of the US 16 disparate spy
services, has concluded that the Iraq war
played a more direct role in increasing
terrorist attacks and creating a new class of
"self-generating" terrorists who are
united by an anti-Western agenda.
The 30-page classified
report warned that rather than contributing to
eventual victory in the US-led global
counterterrorism effort, the situation in Iraq
has worsened the US position.
Repression
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.
It calls for ruling parties
in these countries to allow the full
participation of peaceful political groups,
whether religious or secular in nature.
The high-level group urged
foreign governments to be consistent in their
support for pluralism by, for example,
respecting the outcome of elections.
For the past five years,
the Bush administration has been championing a
"democracy" drive worldwide and a
global "war on terror."
However, pundits say, the
US failed to support free and democratic
elections in several Muslim countries when
Islamists emerged as winners.
Legislative elections have
brought the Palestinian resistance group Hamas
to the helm of power and saw the Muslim
Brotherhood and Hizbullah make major political
gains.
A December Gallup poll,
conducted in 10 nations that comprise 80
percent of the world's Muslim population,
found that an overwhelming majority of Muslims
strongly doubted the United States was trying
to establish democracy in the Middle East.
Oil, protecting Israel and
dominating the region were seen as US goals,
according to the survey.
Recommendations
The high-level group came
up with concrete steps for promoting dialogue
between cultures.
It proposed appointing a
high-level representative to assist the UN
chief in defusing to tensions at times of
crisis.
The dignitaries called for
analyzing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
dispassionately and objectively and
establishing clearly the conditions that must
be met to find a way out of this crisis.
They pressed for resuming
the political process, including the convening
of an international conference on the Middle
East Peace Process as soon as possible.
The report also put forward
a range of concrete proposals in the areas of
education, media, youth and migration to build
bridges and promote a culture of respect and
understanding among Western and Muslim
communities.
It called for the
development of film and television programs
co-produced across religious and cultural
boundaries and showing diversity as a normal
feature of society.
The group encouraged the
promotion of cross-cultural and human rights
education to ensure that students everywhere
develop an understanding of other cultures and
religions.
It also proposed creation
of a Global Youth Solidarity Fund, to
encourage young people to contribute to the
implementation of all of the recommendations
set forth in this report.
