Jordan Times
Monday, February 26, 2007
Queen urges global
community to plant seeds of acceptance, dialogue, peace
AMMAN (JT) — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday urged the global community to
plant the seeds of acceptance, dialogue and peace for future generations.
“The obligation to plant well for posterity is a common thread linking humanity…
Citizens of both East and West must be willing to sit down with and listen to
the other — and each of us must be accountable for what that dialogue reveals,”
the Queen said in a special address at the Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF).
Queen Rania’s message comes at a time when polls worldwide are outlining the
perception of a growing rift between East and West.
“At a time when technology has shrunk the world into a village,” she said, “we
find ourselves distrustful and divided. We prejudge others on the basis of
labels instead of through personal experience, and we dehumanise those around
us.”
Referring to the stereotypes that target Arabs and Muslims, the Queen noted that
the onus is on the regional community to examine and confront the reasons behind
those stereotypes.
“Muslims cannot complain that we are negatively stereotyped by the West, unless
we ourselves address some of the factors behind those perceptions. We are right
to deplore Islamophobia, and the branding of Muslims as terrorists, but we must
face up to the horrible truth that many of the worst terrorist attacks in recent
years have been committed by people who claim to be acting in the name of
Islam,” she said.
“We are right to denounce Israeli violence against civilians in Palestine and
Lebanon. We are right to decry abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. But we have
to stand in the face of the sectarian violence that is escalating in some of our
countries,” she added.
“We are right to question Western governments when their actions only make it
easier for radicals to recruit new followers. But our moral authority depends on
our willingness to reject the voices of extremism and violence in our midst,”
Queen Rania went on to say.
“…but our appeal would be more compelling if we were not divided ourselves. It
is hard to insist the West should embrace us as neighbours in the global
village, when across the Muslim world we are at war with ourselves, brother
against brother — in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Afghanistan,” she said,
suggesting that “we get back to basics because the need for global healing is
all too obvious.”
The basics are humanity’s healing principles, which she called “the language of
the conscience and the speech of the heart, the values of acceptance, love,
respect and peace.”
Queen Rania referred to the disposition of dialogue in the history of the
region, as a guiding example for the Middle East today. “In Islam’s golden age,
Arab civilisation was open to the wisdom of others. Our ancestors welcomed new
ideas from foreign lands, which they combined with their own expertise to push
the boundaries of knowledge even farther.”
Change for the better, according to Her Majesty, comes from the people and by
the people: “More of us need to do more for us because change… takes people who
are bold enough to act, people who know that good investments take time, people
with vision and drive. Government officials have a crucial role to play — but
they cannot do it alone. They need the energy, creativity, and commitment of
people like you.”
Queen Rania concluded her address on a hopeful note. “Together, we… can start
planting the seeds of… an oasis in the desert, a place where all our children,
from East and West, can find acceptance, love, respect and peace,” she said.
The forum, now in its eighth year, is widely recognised as the premier business
gathering of the Middle East. Several regional and global personalities are
attending the event, including Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.
Over the last eight years, JEF has addressed issues of concern on the
international arena, hosting regional and international leaders and influential
figures.
The three-day forum, entitled ‘Economic Reform: Flourishing Grounds and
Expanding Horizons,’ will address strategies for economic reform, social
responsibility and privatisation, amongst other issues.
Also on Sunday, Her Majesty met with the Turkish prime minister on the sidelines
of the forum, where they discussed issues of mutual interest.
Also yesterday, Queen Rania performed Umra (the lesser pilgrimage) in Mecca,
during her brief visit to Saudi Arabia.