Contents

The Role of International and Regional

Organizations in Fostering Alliance

among Civilizations

Dr. Ismat Al Mirghani Ali(*)

The “Alliance of Civilisations” is primarily an alliance between the social, political and civil actors whose action consists of fighting terrorism, fanaticism, extremism and preventing the cultures and societies from seeking to exclude one another.

Alliance between civilisations requires more commitment from the international community, on all the levels whether national, regional or international, as well as from the civil society. The aim is to bring about rapprochement and to overcome impartiality, misconceptions, misunderstanding and polarity, which threaten global peace. Recent tensions between Muslim and Western societies have confirmed the lack of mutual comprehension between these societies. Therefore, regional and international organisations have to focus its action on gearing dialogue among civilisations towards the issues that are of serious concern to the human conscience, and towards working out solutions and reaching settlements inspired by the spirit of civilisations and cultures. In fact, dialogue should seek, in the first place, to uphold peoples’ rights to self-determination, the defence of their lands and sanctities, and the regaining of their occupied territories, to resist dominion and imposition of a one-sided intellectual and cultural globalization system on the international community against the will of governments and peoples, and to outlaw any form of aggression against peoples aspiring to freedom and independence. Dialogue among civilizations at all levels must be a means to reject any attempt to deny peoples of their rights as reaffirmed by international conventions and guaranteed by divine laws and human principles. Dialogue should play an effective part in sensitizing people to the importance of the issues of sustainable development and its role in the promotion of human life and the dissemination of the values of justice, equality and coexistence among people.

Local community organisations have to champion respect for human dignity among all peoples and campaign against all forms of discrimination among them and between countries on the basis of their international stature. They also have to find a common ground among and within all civilisations so that addressing the common international threats becomes possible. They have also to adhere to cooperation and strive to achieve mutual understanding as the most appropriate means to sustain international common values and to ward off the dangers threatening world’s stability.

The efforts of all international organizations have to be based on mutual respect and tolerance in terms of points of views, as well as on the specific values of each culture or civilisation. These efforts have also to acknowledge the rights of the peoples belonging to the world's civilisations to preserve their heritage and cultural values, and to reject soiling of moral, religious and cultural values, as well as the violation of sanctities.

Efforts should also involve all peoples and nations without discrimination in decision-making and sharing out of the riches on local and international levels. In addition, they have to abide by the principles of justice, equity, peace, and solidarity, as well as the principles of international law and the UN Charter which basically uphold the rights and dignity of women, the preservation of the family institution and the protection of the society’s most vulnerable categories, namely children, young people and the aged.

Partnership and cooperation towards fostering alliance among civilisations: the case of Spain and Turkey (2004)

The Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Zapatero, and the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both propounded the idea of “Alliance of Civilisations”. The idea was not to appear by accident, for the issue mutual cooperation between the West and the Islamic world has become particularly sensitive in the last few years. Muslims in Europe (Russia not included) and the Americas number about 50 millions, which is a considerable community. Yet these Muslims form only a minority in the countries where they live. Usually relations between Muslim communities and host societies are very tense, especially in European countries, such as France, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain; hence the initiative of some European countries to improve relations between the West and the Islamic World. As for the second aspect of the problem still faced by Europe, it concerns the integration of migrants from Muslim countries into the European culture and way of life. It is a certainty that the way Muslim communities will develop within European countries is thus far unclear. Either their progeny will be completely integrated into the European culture, or, on the contrary, more opportunities will be given to them to improve and enhance their Islamic identity.

In addition, the reasons behind the participation of Turkey in launching this idea are completely understandable. Turkey is striving to join the European Union, hence the importance for that country to support the European initiative and to project the image of a modern, moderate and tolerant Muslim country, seeking complementarity with Europe and the West. Turkey also strives to become a model and to prove that, as a Muslim country, it can become part of the Western Civilisation. This objective is of great importance for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, being a leader of an Islamic party. When his party won the elections, many felt apprehensive of seeing Turkey giving up its democratic process, so far successfully managed. However, Erdogan proved that his Islamic party was up to its political responsibilities and aspired as a democratic party to unify the values of the Western and the Islamic worlds.

In this respect, the interests of Spain and Turkey become commensurate thanks to their shared commitment to mobilize a common political action on the institutional level, as well as on the level of civil society; all with a view to paving the way for better relations among civilisations, especially the Western and Islamic civilisations.

Both Spain and Turkey believe that the events of recent years did only add to the existing suspicion and misapprehension between the Islamic and the Western worlds; which has in turn fuelled religious extremism, undermined the bases of tolerance and mortgaged global stability. That is why they consider that the idea of “Alliance of Civilisations” will, if combined with a political action by governments and civil societies whether in the political, economic or cultural fields, form a bridge for shaping new mutual relations to among civilisations.

Indeed, following the negotiations held by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, with Spain and Turkey, three main axes and missions were identified for the group of experts in charge of achieving the idea of Alliance of Civilisations. The first was to make an assessment of the global situation, especially in terms of security and the threats arising from extremist groups. As for the second mission, it consists of building up official and civil society work teams. The third mission centres on providing an action programme for countries, international organisations and the civil society, in order to coordinate the action of all societies.

Finally, the role of local community organisations, in ISESCO’s perception, must focus on:

- Strengthening the principles of dialogue among civilizations and cultures as well as enhancing peaceful coexistence among peoples and nations, given that dialogue is the choice of sensible people and the path of the wise and the most efficient way to settle conflicts and defuse the crises tearing apart modern societies;

- Reaffirming the concept of human cooperation based on mutual respect with a view to reinforcing inter-civilisational exchange and solidarity between nations, in deference to the cultural specificities and the social political choices of the states and peoples, as guaranteed by the principles of international law;

- Seeking flexible, appropriate formulas to link the theoretical objectives and principles of the dialogue of civilisations with the implementation mechanisms and practical tools, the aim being to achieve the global human objectives of the dialogue among civilisations; all within the framework of the provisions of the United Nations Charter and the relevant international treaties, declarations and instruments;

- Providing a legal legitimacy for dialogue among civilisations, in order to impose it as a chief foundation of International Relations, with the firm and legitimate aim to achieve communication, through constant action in the like of that led by the Islamic Organization, and not just a cultural choice not binding on the international community.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatu Allah wabarakatuh

(*) President of the Afro-Asian Lawyers' Association for Human Rights and Observer Member of the Permanent Arab Commission on Human Rights, League of Arab States.

Publications of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

-ISESCO- 1428H/2007 A.D