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"A Conference on Dialogue between Islam and the West in Malaysia Focuses on the Role of the Media"

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, February 9, 2006

London

By Mina al-Oraibi

A conference dedicated to the discussion of the dialogue between the Islamic and Western civilizations is scheduled to begin tomorrow in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The conference will focus on the role of the media in the Islamic-Western encounter, and on how each culture perceives the “Other”. The Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Abdullah Ahamad Badawi will inaugurate the conference, which will be attended by fifty political, academic and media personalities.  They will meet over the next two days to discuss the question, “Who Speaks for Islam? Who Speaks for the West?” which is also the title of this conference. The conference is organized by the Malaysian Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), New York University’s Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West. It will discuss how to best explain the Islamic culture to westerners and the Western culture to Muslims, and will try to devise a strategy that the media can use when addressing issues affecting the relations between them. During the next two days, an entire session will be dedicated to the impact of globalization on the Islamic world, and the future prospects for the relationship between Muslims and the West. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatemi, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Amre Moussa, and the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu are expected to lead the debate along with a distinguished group of academicians and media personalities from the United States, Europe and the Middle East. The discussion comes in the wake of the recent developments and protests in many Islamic countries triggered by the Danish and other newspapers’ insults to the Prophet (PBUH). Marianne Young, Media Director with the “Engaging with the Islamic World” program at the British Foreign Ministry said, “It is time to ask questions about the role of the media in the dialogue among civilizations and the need to understand the “Other”.” She told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat “it is truly regrettable that the events triggered by the cartoons have totally overshadowed the dialogue. We believe however that what happened will lead us to an in-depth dialogue, and to the development of a strategy charting out the role of the media in this debate.” The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office contributed $127,000.00 to the Malaysia conference, which covered one third of the expenses.  Young explained that “the conference, like similar events supported by the British Foreign Office, is necessary for engaging the Islamic world. We however do not attempt to organize these activities ourselves. It is preferable that Muslims chose what in their view is adequate for the promotion of understanding between the Islamic and western worlds. She added, “These conferences and activities constitute a return to classical diplomacy. We are engaged with interested countries in order to find out new fields of cooperation in support of dialogue.”

 

 

 

 

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