Plain talk urged for Islam-West dialog

Thursday, November 23, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dialog is widely seen as the key to bridging the increasing divide between "Islam" and the "West".

However, talk can be cheap and much of it has been criticized as a form of "Band Aid
diplomacy", where people pat each other on the back but don't really say what they feel.

An international conference themed "Challenging Stereotypes in Europe and the Islamic World" here Wednesday called for dialog that emphasized more "frankness and sincerity".

Ulrike Knotz, who heads Germany's Federal Foreign Office task force on dialog with the Islamic world, proposed an intercultural dialog where people come together with respect, to get to know and even like each other.

"This dialog is not supposed to be 'a dialog about dialog', but will deal with topics of interest to both sides," she told the two-day conference that started Wednesday.
However, Knotz said the success of intercultural talks largely depended on how credible policies in other areas were -- the unresolved Middle East problem along with issues related to immigration and integration and the global economy.

"Credibility means calling a spade a spade, stating the crux of the matter, showing the foundations for political action and pointing out what interests are at stake," she said.

Knotz called for people to stop using the phrase "clash of civilizations" when discussing real conflicts of interest.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said existing dialog had proceeded mostly at the intellectual level among opinion-makers.

"But it is also important to promote intensive dialog at the grassroots level because it is at that level that the most constructive forms of community building can be carried out. It is also at that level that violence born of prejudice can break out and spread," he said.

Din Syamsuddin, the chairman of Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, called for the involvement of hardline and extremist groups in the dialog.

So far the dialog had only included the moderates, he said.
However, the moderates complained it was often difficult for them to discuss differences with conservative or hardline Muslims.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Ismail Yusanto, the spokesman for Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia -- a conservative Muslim group -- said he was skeptical such meetings would bear fruit while an American hegemony and global imperialism existed.

"It seems to be difficult if not impossible to conduct it, because the dialog implies the West will have to cease its current global imperialism," he said.
"If there is no way for fair dialog, then the only other choice is to clash ... And there is no other way for Muslims except to face (this choice) bravely and have tawakkal (trust) in Allah."

However, British Muslim scholar Shaykh Muhammad Bilal Abdallah urged greater Muslim participation in the political and democratic process if Muslims wanted their voices heard on the issues that matter.

"Muslims need to disentangle themselves from all forms of reactionary positions whose features include intolerance, literalism, extremism and the constant urge to control and limit free expression and creative thinking," he said.
Western governments, meanwhile, needed to identify common values and work in partnerships with the Muslim world, so that their people could address the myths and fears surrounding Islamic communities, Abdallah said.

Labels: Islam

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