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UN tries to heal religious divide Call to bridge West-Muslim divide
(about 3 hours later)
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to be presented with a plan of action to ease increasing polarisation of Muslim and Western societies. A cross-cultural group of 20 prominent world figures has called for urgent efforts to heal the growing divide between Muslim and Western societies.
The report is by a group of prominent international figures, including Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and ex-Iranian president Mohammad Khatami. They say the chief causes of the rift are not religion or history, but recent political developments, notably the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
They have been brought together under the United Nations initiative, the Alliance of Civilisations. The panel, drawn together by the UN, says a climate of mutual fear and stereotypes is worsening the problem.
The report will be presented at a ceremony in Istanbul. To combat hostility bred of ignorance, they want education and media projects.
It is the product of 20 minds: prominent international figures from a variety of religions. The Alliance of Civilisations, which includes Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, dismisses the notion that a clash of civilisations is inevitable, but says that swift action is needed.
They have been meeting over the past year to examine the root causes of the increasing divide between the Muslim world and the West. Their findings were presented in a report to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a ceremony in Istanbul on Monday morning.
Their mandate was to propose a concrete plan of action to bridge the gap and overcome mutual feelings of fear and suspicion. Peoples who feel that they face persistent discrimination, humiliation, or marginalisation are reacting by asserting their identity more aggressively Alliance of Civilisations report 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.
The inflammatory language used by some leaders is criticisedIt 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 educationYouth education
The high-level group questions the theory that a clash of civilisations is inevitable; its report is expected to say that the chief causes of tension are not cultural or religious, but political. 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.
Members of the working group say the situation in the Middle East and the conflict in Iraq are key to an increasing sense of frustration in the Muslim world. 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.
Among proposals to help promote respect and understanding are 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.
But this group is expected to make it quite clear that such schemes will have limited impact unless the political causes of tension are 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.