Dr. Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Coventry City Council;
Professor Mike Hardy, Executive Director, Center for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations;
Very Reverend John Witcombe, Dean, Coventry Cathedral;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you all for the opportunity to address you in this historic city, Coventry. This city is not only historic and beautiful but it also stands for every symbol that we are celebrating as we mark the World Day for Cultural Diversity.
As High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, I am filled with awe at the realization that I am addressing an audience in a city that experienced under the attack of protagonists, what few cities did in modern history.
The protagonists of those times — the Nazis — were obsessed by the pursuit of a world capable of sustaining only one truth, Nazism, and welcoming of only one type of human being, the Aryan.
Humankind, in all its diversity, prevailed thanks to the sacrifices and courage of people like those of Great Britain and cities such as Coventry.
The truth is — today more than at any other time in history — diversity is the reality that informs human life: diversity in nations and cities, tribes and villages, in ethnicities and identities, in beliefs, faiths, and traditions.
We live in a “global village.” Today’s world is closer than ever to expressing that most challenging of philosophical propositions: unity in diversity.
The questions for the international community and policy makers in general are therefore: How to overcome the tensions generated by such a theory? How to manage diversity and turn it into an incubator of progress, peace, and security — locally, nationally, and internationally?
As we celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, let me briefly recall for you the genesis of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The UNAOC was born at a critical juncture, when we as human beings faced potential cultural confrontation, the result of the criminal fanaticism of another band of terrorists who, before hijacking commercial flights and turning them into weapons of mass destruction, planned to hijack a faith of peace. But we should not allow this hijacking of a faith that is, and has always been an embodiment of tolerance. We must not give them this recognition.
They will not succeed in transforming Islam into an ideology of hate and murder against the West. In fact, the International Community came to our rescue from what the enemies of peace have plotted.
At the same time, we should not allow the new emerging hate parties in some Western countries to nourish hate and xenophobia against the culture of the East.
Faced with this new fanaticism that risked to pitting the West against the Muslim World and leading to the “clash of civilizations” predicted a decade earlier by Samuel Huntington, the international community heeded the urgent call of two European powers, Spain and Turkey – one Christian, the other Muslim — for the establishment of a new UN organization with the objective of countering the tide of intolerance and misunderstanding. This Turkish Spanish initiative is the best testament of Christianity and Islam working hand in hand in the service of humanity.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was established in response to the recommendations of the High Level Group composed of eminent personalities widely acknowledged for their wisdom, and their prestige.
Beyond its immediate purpose, the new institution was intended to equip the United Nations with a new tool of preventive diplomacy to apply to situations of cultural and identity tensions in a world equally blessed and damned by the new paradigm of globalization.
The reason the Alliance was created and the reason I agreed to lead it, is that it remains one of our best hopes to counter polarization across and within societies. I find that sometimes what we fear most, we ascribe to those so-called “others”, as a way of legitimizing our fears. Indeed, the purpose of much of the UN’s work, and certainly the Alliance of Civilizations’ work, is to remind us of our shared dignity, and from that, our responsibility to the world we share, this is not a mere sentiment. It is a view that has deep and practical consequences in how we carry and conduct ourselves in the world.
As an example, in the Alliance’s work, this is the approach we take when we help young people through small grants and train them to resolve tensions in places like the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Mindanao, or Pakistan.
When it comes to the media, the loudest voices tend to get the microphones. Cameras focus on the fringe. In this context, we , at UNAOC are trying to enhance the level of public debate on identity-based conflicts through skill building training with journalists around the world.
Not just in the area of youth and media, but in all areas of the Alliance’ programming, our ability to deliver on our goals is based on meaningful partnerships on the ground. Here, the sum of diplomatic experience has shown me time after time that religious leaders, academia, civil society organizations, and the corporate sector have a critical role to play in fostering understanding, respect for diversity and tolerance. All of these human values lie in the heart of the mission of the Alliance.
Simply, the UNAOC is a true reflection of the aims and the principles of the UN Charter.
Since I am speaking in Europe, allow me to reflect for a moment on the history of Western-Islamic relations, as I often do when I have a chance to address a European audience, particularly in an academic setting like this one.
What does that history teach us? It teaches us that Christianity existed long before Europe, and that for more than seven centuries, Christianity continuously interacted with the Muslim world. Sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent, this interaction gave rise to a continuum of exchanges, material and intellectual, commercial and cultural, which profoundly influenced both sides.
European identity was forged over the course of this process. It can be unequivocally stated that European medieval identity and, later, European national identities were nourished by the philosophical, scientific, and artistic advances of Islam.
Although many studies have demonstrated the historic meshing of European and Muslim identities in a process of mutual influence, the denial of a Muslim heritage persists in the European subconscious today.
This denial is linked to mistaken beliefs such as that Muslim communities in the West are somehow alien to the West, or a phenomenon of the 20th century. In Europe there are between 20 and 25 million Muslim citizens according to most reliable estimates. They are at home, yet uncomfortably so because they are viewed as being separate from the national communities of which they are a part.
To be sure, the perception gap between Muslims and the non-Muslim majority in Europe can be traced to many political, economic, and social causes. However, iis quite challenging because it is experienced by groups with separate, selective, and antagonistic memories. Yet, it is not impossible to resolve. For some, Islam has always been the target of aggression by Europe; for those who have missed the truth, I simply respond by saying that my very presence here today at this august institution proves them wrong. For others, Europe has always been the target of aggression by Islam. These too have also missed the truth. You see, human advancement was only attainable through mutual understanding and the exchange of knowledge between the East and the West centuries ago.
Both points of view are missing an important piece of the picture – seven centuries during which the destinies of Europe and Islam were, for better or for worse, inseparable. To acknowledge this missing link would not only correct a major historical omission – it would build valuable pathways between the two groups and a shared sense of European identity.
European Muslims today contribute to the prosperity and brilliance of their various countries. They are active in the production of material goods as well as academic and cultural achievements – in science, literature, art, architecture, fashion, cuisine, and many other fields.
Highlighting these contributions through research and incorporating them into textbooks would be a noble task for you, scholars — a task that I would strongly encourage.
The Arab world, an important part of the Muslim world, is currently undergoing a period of profound change unlike any since the decolonization era. People across the region are taking action and speaking with voices previously unheard. This is a moment of significant challenge but, more importantly, of great opportunity: a moment when functioning, efficient, representative governments can be built; a moment when greater accountability, transparency, and the rule of law can be institutionalized; and a moment when the rights of women, youth, and minorities can be entrenched; a moment when the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be acknowledged without any qualification.
We must however recognize that to succeed, democratic transformation needs to be coupled with economic transformation. Economic exclusion — including a lack of decent work and economic opportunity — was a driving force behind the Arab Awakenings.
Understanding the transformation of the Arab world and explaining it to European policy makers and the general public is another task that you, scholars, can usefully perform in these critical times. Your contribution could help European national governments and institutions make the right decisions concerning economic assistance to the Arab nations as they begin a new phase of their political history.
I submit that the aspiration for universal values, whether explicitly or implicitly, was a driving force characterizing both the tensions in the Islamic-Western relationship throughout history and the Arab Awakenings.
Islam and Christianity have long embraced the universal values described by Plato as objective: the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. As to the populations that arose in protest throughout the Arab world three years ago, calling for an end to oppressive regimes, it was in the name of dignity, justice, and liberty — values we all hold dear.
As we reflect on these serious issues, we must guard against the pitfalls of cultural relativism and its use as justification for practices that contradict human rights.
Anthropologists among you are familiar with this debate, but let me argue that while cultural considerations can play a useful role in the process of designing and implementing economic development assistance projects, it is wrong and harmful to those most in need of this assistance to portray international development agencies as tools for forcing developing countries to conform to Western political and economic standards.
The situation of migrants is also fraught with potential for controversy. I spoke earlier of the uneasy status of Muslim immigrants in Europe; in our global world in which migration is increasing and will continue to increase despite more daunting border restrictions, it is sometimes tempting to see only one side of the picture. Far-right groups and political parties do not hesitate to point to immigrants as the source of the nation’s troubles, blaming them for increasing criminality, national budget deficits, falling educational standards, and worse.
On the other hand, when civil society idealizes immigrant communities, giving immigrants the illusion that they can defy social and legal norms at no cost, they undermine the consensus on how to live together, making it more difficult for immigrants to integrate and condemning them to a marginalized life in their new country — in the case of children of immigrants, the only country they know.
Let me conclude with few remarks on the future — the future of our living together. You will agree with me that the daunting challenge for our societies in the near and, more so, in the long-term future will be how to live peacefully with the other: he or she who does not share the color of our skin, our deeply-held beliefs or traditions, or our language, but who is our neighbor or colleague in this globalized world in which borders have become fluid, if not obsolete.
More than ever, the wise idiom, “live and let live,” will be of great value. The virtues of tolerance, mutual respect, moderation, and reason, if taught seriously in schools, upheld in the home, and practiced in daily civic life could save future generations from collective catastrophes like those of the last century.
Not only does diversity matter even more tomorrow than it does today: it is our inescapable human condition. The question is how to equip future generations with the tools that will enable them to make this coexistence an experience of peace, creativity, personal happiness, and a better life for all.
Educational institutions such as your university can play a major role in this regard, as should our religious organizations, civil society groups, political parties, and, I emphasize, international organizations such as the Alliance of Civilizations
Let’s all work together to make this brighter future possible.
Thank you.