Time Magazine reports on a world-wide conference held in Mardid this past week on the subject of the future of Civilization. This is the first of a series of annual conferences and this one dealt in particular with the clash of cultures between Western Civilization and the Islamic world.
Many notable civic and religious leaders from across the divide participated in the conversation.
From Time’s article:
The gathering certainly was not short on inspiring talk. Former Irish President Mary Robinson urged attendees to “open ourselves to new ways of thinking,” and “to find a way to communicate that is humble.” And Jordan’s Queen Noor insisted that “there is a fundamental, common humanity that towers above our differences.” But there was skepticism about whether the worthy pronouncement could usher in concrete change. Forum participant Mohammed El-Fifi, a spokesman for the Islamic Cultural Center, Spain’s largest mosque, summed up a widely held concern: “Talk is talk. Can they transform all this talk into action? That’s the question.”
The article go on to highlight one of the particular programs discussed at the meeting:
One of the most intriguing innovations was the launch of a “Rapid Response Media Mechanism,” which would enable the Alliance to generate accurate, responsible reports in times of international crisis. “Anytime something happens, the jihadis have the capability of getting their side online within a few hours,” said David Michaelis, director of current affairs for the San Francisco-based LinkTV, and a Forum participant. “We have to be able to answer, to get a moderate point of view up, just as quickly.” Hameed Haroon, CEO of the Pakistani media group, Dawn Publications, came out of the media workshop bursting with ideas. “It needs to be like a superblog, a super-Google,” he says. “A place that unites a survival guide for reporters going into conflict zones, with expertise from universities around the world, and reports from local journalists who are actually working on the fault lines.”
…Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director of the Gallup Organization’s Center for Muslim Studies, says she was encouraged by the many Forum experts’ view of religion as a neutral tool, rather than a force inherently good or evil. “People here understand that blaming religion for conflict is like blaming the gun for shooting someone,” she says. Mogahed also hailed the initiatives launched by Noor and Sheikha Moza. But she couldn’t help wondering about something that might undermine the Alliance’s high-minded efforts. “I haven’t seen a single American policy-maker here,” she says. “Their lack of engagement, their absence, is a gaping hole.”
You can read the full article here.
The website for the Alliance of Civilizations conference is here and includes background, presentations on the topic and the full agenda.