Executive Programme for The Islamic World
on
Dialogue among Civilizations
Prepared by
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - ISESCO -

FIRST :  The Educational Field

I- General Background :

Education is no more the mere process of acquiring knowledge or the key to global development, but it has become indeed that social institution and collective edifice which promotes or limits the relationship between the communities, widens or narrows the scope of understanding between the civilizations and cultures. From this angle, action in the field will focus on highlighting the Islamic view of the educational approaches at the international scale, so as to strengthen understanding between the Muslim societies and the establishment of peace and security in the world by different means.

In this respect, Islam has preceded all faiths and set rules in calling human beings to protect human rights and to favour peace and tolerance regardless of religion, race, social class and economic category. Thus we should encourage education for the sake of human rights and peace in all societies.

II. Axes :

1. Education, Human Rights and the Culture of Justice and Peace :

This axis aims at making the respect of human rights, justice and peace a normal behaviour through constructive education based on the teachings of Islam and through the integration of the human rights values in the educational curricula in the Islamic world schools.

Programmes :

- Integration of Human Rights principles and culture of Justice and Peace from an Islamic point of view in the educational curricula (experts meetings, workshop, publications)

- Sensitizing on the promotions of dialogue between people and civilization (youth festivals, symposia, exhibitions)

- Preparation of reference materials on dialogue between civilization within the educational institutions and research centres (symposia, publications).

2. Environment, Health and Population Education :

This axis aims at emphasizing the Islamic approach to the environment, health and population issues, as modern issues on which the Muslims should clarify the position of Islam, within the framework of the new international trends in this field.

Programmes

- Integration of environment, health and population education concepts from an Islamic point of view in the educational curricula (experts meetings, workshop, publications)

- Preparation of reference materials on the Islamic view of the issues of environment, health and population education within the educational institutions and research centres (experts meetings, workshop, publications)

- Highlighting the Islam’s position on environment, health and population education in the national and international educational policies (experts meetings, workshop, publications)

SECOND : The Scientific Field

I- General Background :

The new scientific and technological developments, have brought staggering changes in society and environment. It has modified the behaviour patterns of the human beings, changed social and cultural trends and above all affected the overall meaning of life. Further, the process of globalization has also caused an impetus to social transformations including threats to cultural, behavioural and linguistic diversities of our society. These social transformations may not be left unattended to erode our social system. Islamic society is unique in character, guided by teaching of Islam and enlightened by its principles. It is necessary to analyse and evaluate the impact of new technological developments on our society in the light of Islamic values and Sharia. This will not only help us in managing social transformations but also secure traditional knowledge, behaviours and other social values and save our future generations from digressions.

II- Axis :

Ethical Issues in Science and Technology

This programme focuses on analyzing and evaluating the ethical dimensions of latest developments in science and technology in the light of Islamic thought and value system, through increased debate, discussions in meetings, seminars and symposia to promote the code of ethics through wider dissemination.

Programmes :

- Analysis of the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (Symposia, publications)

- Dissemination of the Code of Ethics (Symposia, workshops, publications)

THIRD : The Cultural Field

I- General Background :

The Islamic cultural heritage is a treasure trove of luminous civilizational images and recollections that command reflection on the authentic values and modern civilizational dimensions of our cultural heritage. They elicit feelings of joy and pride taken in this culture's wealth and in the intellectual, literary and artistic creativity of its people, and by sharing this, bringing closer together Muslim countries and strengthening their feeling of unity. Yet, the discrepancy between Muslim countries and technologically advanced ones has resulted in feelings of inferiority and a weakening of Muslims' appreciation of the great cultural remnants that fill museums; manuscripts, architectural designs and literary and cultural wealth. Colonialism has encouraged ignorance and placed the psyche of the Muslim face to face with strong temptations of westernization and globalization, hence the endeavours of cultural institutions in Muslim countries, such as the Islamic Organization and since its inception, to spread knowledge on the valuable contributions of the Islamic civilization,  unveil its glowing achievements, protect its values, recover its scattered treasures and to preserve its memory from distortion and loss, all in the hope of bringing about a revival of the Ummah and enabling it to catch up with the march of progress and look forward to the future.

For all these reasons, and reconfirming the desire to boost positive dialogue with other cultures for the purpose of civilizational co-existence, respect of cultural identity and characteristics of all peoples and preservation of the cultural unity and linguistic characteristics of Muslims, action in this field aims at reinforcing the achievements made in this regard. These achievements include the preservation of Islamic historical sites, the development of Islamic architectural arts, the safeguarding of Islamic manuscripts, paying tribute to the milestones of Islamic culture, focus will be put on aspect such as arts, Islamic folklore, recovering Islamic cultural treasures and implementing an important project on reviving Haj routes, these being cultural channels that largely contributed to making known various cultural aspects and helped weave the unity and variety of this identity.

II- Axes :

1. Islamic Culture and Human Values :

This axis emphasizes the Islamic cultural treasure of human values and draws attention to principles such as tolerance, dialogue, justice, peace and the respect of human rights. These values dictate morals that direct sciences and knowledge on the right path and in the benefit of humanity.

Programmes :

- Islam and peace (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Islam and human rights (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Islamic and contemporary issues (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

This field is made up of three axes : Islamic cultural solidarity, cultural exchanges between Muslims and interaction of cultures. To achieve these objectives, plans and strategies will be drawn up to concertise Islamic solidarity in the field of culture, prepare a study on voluntary and charity work, and hold seminars and conferences to promote dialogue between Muslims and other religions.

2. Cultural Exchange between Muslims and Interaction with other Cultures :

The purpose of this axis is to strengthen the ties of unity between Muslims and peoples of other religions by promoting cultural dialogue, dynamizing the mechanisms of cultural exchanges amongst Muslim countries and benefiting from Muslim brains living abroad. It also aims at encouraging cultural dialogue between Muslims and others by stressing the contribution of Islamic civilization to other cultures and Islam's encouragement of peaceful co-existence between peoples and inter-religious and civilizational dialogue.

Programmes :

- Dialogue between Islamic culture and other cultures (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Strengthening Islamic culture of Muslim minorities and communities (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Promoting Islamic cultural exchange (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Islamic culture and cultural challenges (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Inter-cultural dialogue among Muslims (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

- Solving the problem of brain drain and how to benefit from those scientists (International and regional conferences, symposia, publications)

3. The Libraries of the Past :

This axis aims at reinforcing the components of Islamic cultural identity through preserving and enriching the strongholds of Islamic past as represented in historical monuments, museums and architectural jewels and their protection and the highliting of its diversity and development dimensions and its role in the promotion of dialogue between cultures and understanding between people.

Programmes :

- Islamic architectural arts (Symposia, workshops, exhibitions)

- Museums and their contents (Symposia, exhibitions)

- Recovering Islamic cultural properties (Symposia, studies)

- The Haj routes project (Symposia, studies, exhibitions)

4. Intellectual Heritage :

The aim of this axis is to enhance Islamic cultural heritage as passed on by Muslim academicians and thinkers over the centuries, presenting the latter and the major civilizational institutions and other forms of culture and putting the emphasis on the tolerance values and coexistence between civilizations in this heritage.

Programmes :

- The milestones of Islamic culture (Symposia, studies, publications)

- Islamic society and cultural identity institutions (Symposia, studies, publications)

- Islamic popular culture (Symposia, studies, publications, exhibitions)

- Islamic manuscripts (Symposia, studies, publications, exhibitions)

5. Regular Activities :

This axis aims at establishing cultural and scientific traditions dealing with the issues of dialogue among civilizations and the organization of permanent meetings, which strengthen the principles of understanding among peoples and interaction between cultures. It also aims at encouraging the responsible in this field to promote the action means and to develop the cultural output.

Programmes :

- Capitals of Dialogue (To select each year  a city to be the capital of Dialogue, and host cultural activities)

- The Dialogue’s prize (To award a prize each year to the best work related to Dialogue among civilizations)

FOURTH : The Information  Field

I- General Background :

The last decades of the century have witnessed successive changes and leaps in the field of information conveyance through images or sound or both. But the soon to arrive century will really be the century of communication and Tele-information. The degree of development of a country will be conditional upon its mastering communication channels and its capacity to utilize its mechanisms to serve its vital sectors and fields. The relationship between communication and the media on the one hand and cultural practices on the other will become tighter considering the media's tendency and capacity to better convey cultural content and messages and to generate the necessary financial feedback. Media and communication channels have an unequalled capacity to convey cultural concepts and guarantee their unlimited dissemination throughout the world. This confirms in our minds that no civilizational development or cultural leadership could possibly be achieved without ensuring a close and constructive interrelation between cultural and communication.

In the face of foreign information flow and the development of communication mechanisms, the Islamic world will need to get tuned to new developments and, through that process, adjust cultural work to modern communication methods. Only by achieving this will Islamic culture attain the position it aspires to and will the Islamic Ummah discharge its eternal mission in the best manner possible. There is an unavoidable need here to coordinate efforts and close ranks not only to demonstrate the principles of solidarity and mutual assistance in the Islamic world but equally to mobilize as many of the Ummah's resources as possible to confirm the contribution of the Islamic culture to the universal culture and to strengthen the values of tolerance, coexistence between people, dialogue and understanding among civilizations and cultures.

II- Axes :

1. Communication and Information Exchange, complementarity between Muslim Countries and the Interaction with other Cultures :

The aim of this axis is to encourage cooperation and complementarity between Muslim countries and develop frameworks for exchange in this field, and to facilitate intercultural exchange and civilizational interaction with other peoples and cultures.

Programmes :

- Promotion of frameworks of information and communication in the Islamic World (Symposia, workshops, publications)

- Promotion of joint cultural, information and communication programmes in the Islamic World (Symposia, workshops, publications)

2. Muslim Countries and the Universe of Communication :

The goal of this axis is to encourage the Islamic World to cooperate and coordinate their efforts towards developing modern communication means and using the latter to vehicle a genuine Islamic cultural message and redress the image of Islam and Islamic culture and confirm the Islamic World’s willingless to defend the values of tolerance and ideals of Dialogue and understanding among civilizations and cultures.

Programmes :

- Developing Islamic cultural Internet websites (Workshops, funding research projects, studies, establishing appropriate legislations)

- Promotion of electronic edition in the Islamic World (Workshops, funding research projects, studies, establishing appropriate legislations)

- The project of an Islamic communication satellite (Workshops, funding research projects, studies, establishing appropriate legislations)

3. Islamic World and International Communication Activity :

Action in this axis aspires to ensure the contribution of the Islamic world to the various communication activities that take place on the international scene with the aim of  making known Islamic culture and highlighting its contribution to cultural development and to the progress of universal culture.

Programmes :

- International information and communication exhibitions

- International information and communication conferences.

FIFTTH : The Environmental Field

I- General Background :

Interest in the environment issues and problems has increased as the result of the interaction between the elements of the natural and civilizational systems which started to represent a serious threat to the human existence and the outer sphere. Undoubtedly, the seriousness of these issues and how to deal with them vary according to region, society, culture and civilization. Action in this field is based on highlighting the Islamic perspective of environmental problems and its concepts to emphasize the natural equilibrium and the importance of harmony between man, his sphere and the universe in general. Man is God’s viceroy on earth, to make use of its wealth and boon. The axes of this field also aim at putting the Islamic perspective on environment, by defining it, within the framework of the perspectives of contemporary cultures and civilizations thereof.

II- Axes :

1- Consolidating the Islamic outlook on environment :

This axis aims at presenting the main bases of the Islamic outlook to environmental issues, including verses from the Holy Quran and Prophet’s Hadith which encourage preservation of the environment and its protection against abuse and pollution.

Programmes :

- Islamic environmental concepts (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islamic heritage in the field of environment (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Man and the environment from an Islamic perspective (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

2. Islam and contemporary environmental issues :

This axis aims at highlighting Islam’s position regarding contemporary environmental issues on the previously mentioned religious and cultural bases, in order to emphasize the contribution of Islamic culture in the protection and preservation of the environment.

Programmes :

- Islamic culture and pollution (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islamic culture and natural resources (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islamic culture and biodiversity (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

SIXTH : The Social Field

I- General Background :

The changes witnessed by the Islamic World and the ensuing circumstances, especially those concerning the new cultural trends and the challenges and impacts of globalization, require paying more attention to the social and human aspects of the Muslim Ummah’s problems so as to allow it to take its proper place as the best of people, evolved for mankind, enjoying what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in God. Starting from this premise, action in this field requires the assurances that the elements of the social edifice of the Muslim Ummah are based on its pure cultural principles. This way, the Muslim Ummah can guarantee preservation of its identity and distinction, and can eventually interact and complement with “the other” from the position which highlights the soundness of the Islamic outlook of the society and the creator’s wisdom in diversifying its elements, organizing and utilizing its different sectors. This outlook necessarily needs continuous clarification and correction at a time when Islam is faced by a distortion campaign, aimed specially at its social aspects. Moreover, mechanisms and principles of dialogue among cultures require conceiving a clear outlook which enables laying down constructive interaction and strong understanding between Islamic culture and other cultures.

II- Axes :

1. Islam and Social Justice :

This axis aims at emphasizing the noble principles and values which Islam calls for, and encouraging people to adhere to them on personal as well as the group levels. It also aims at highlighting the position of Islam regarding certain issues in social systems.

Programmes :

- Islam and individual rights (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islam and social mutual assistance (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islam and Counsel “Shura” (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

2. Islam and Society issues :

This axis aims at increasing awareness in social and cultural issues of various sectors of the society through the Islamic outlook to these issues. It also aims at shedding light on the Islamic specificity in this field and the nature of its contribution to the society’s comprehensive development, as well as in consolidating the principles of tolerance and coexistence among peoples, and understanding among civilizations and cultures.

Programmes :

- Issues concerning women, children and youth from an Islamic perspective (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Issues concerning special  categories from an Islamic perspective (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islamic culture for all (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Islamic culture, its peoples and languages (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)

- Cultural tourism in the Islamic World (Symposia, studies, translation, publication)