"Spain
Can Serve As A Mediator By Demonstrating The Values Of The West to other cultures"
El País, November 2, 2002
By Jesús Arias
Granada. Sorbonne educated Mustapha Tlili is the founder and director of Dialogues: Islamic World – U.S. - The West, a program of the World Policy Institute at the New School University in New York City. As a former senior official of the United Nations, he worked on several dialogue initiatives between Palestinians and Israelis. As an author, Tlili published Lion Mountain and he edited For Nelson Mandela, published by Henry Holt.
Question. Why did you choose Granada for this conference between the Muslim World and the West?
Answer. Because Granada and Spain illustrate the great past of the Muslim world. Here is where it can be proven that Islam was well-developed as a civilization. These were the times of Averroes, Maimonides, and Thomas Aquinas. All of that served as the base for European civilization. Spain carries that great historical tradition and it is also a modern Western country.
Q. There is always talk about Muslims, Christians, and Jews living together, but it is never mentioned that with the fall of Granada began the Jewish exodus toward central Europe and the expulsion of the Muslims...
A. Tragedy is also part of our historical legacy, but only one part of history. During the time of the Jewish exodus and Muslim expulsion, Christian civilization was less advanced in terms of art and culture, but it was very capable militarily. Accordingly, it began conquering while also assimilating into its own culture what the Muslims had left behind. It wanted to move forward. Today, it is the Muslims who want to move forward. The lesson that Granada has to offer is that the same Islamic values that exist today were present in the very advanced culture of Andalusian times. In other words, there is nothing Islamic that should impede advancement and progress.
Q. There are countries, like Turkey, that show that it is possible to be Muslim and also Western.
A. Turkey or Tunisia, for that matter. They prove that Islam in itself is not outdated or behind the times. The question we should ask is how to adapt modernity to local situations. The evolution of Muslim societies should find its own model within each country. We should not forget that Islam runs from Malaysia to Algeria, countries that exhibit two very different expressions of Islam, as different as Christianity in Spain or France. What we should not do is become obsessed with modernity as seen by the West.
Q. Do you believe that the West imposes its values without taking other cultures into account?
A. Absolutely. We should always ask ourselves how many things come wrapped in the package of modernity, because that package contains many positive things but some negative ones as well. There isn't an exchange between one side and the other, but rather a unilateral imposition by one side on the other. This unequal relationship produces cultural imbalances that cause social disintegration and later, if people feel alienated, this phenomenon develops into terrorism.
Q. How could this problem be tackled?
A. We would have to investigate the role of the media. We live in a world of DIAimages. Through these DIAimages many dangerous stereotypes are created. If we want to focus on the world's future, we should change our perception of the Other. What is called a clash of civilizations today is really a clash of perceptions supported and nurtured by the media. When stereotypes are created, situations that are difficult to check develop. Today the media presents the Muslim as a dangerous extremist, when in reality he is not at all. Maybe we should envisage a global television chain that shows the reality of Muslim countries in order to help us better understand them.
Q. You experienced the attacks of 9/11 in person. As a Muslim, what did you feel?
A. Through my window I saw the second airplane hit the Twin Towers. I thought about the suffering of all of those people-- parents, mothers, normal and everyday human beings, like you and me. It was an attack against everyday people. I would like to emphasize that one of the first things George W. Bush did was visit a mosque and differentiate between Islam and terrorism, a difference that we should all keep in mind. Other members of his administration are not as open-minded, but they are criticized daily in the press.
Q. Can Islamic political parties play a role in the evolution of Muslim countries?
A. An issue we have addressed in this conference is that the Western world should not reject Islamic political parties automatically. To the contrary, we should consider the possibility that these parties may participate and win elections in Muslim countries. We need to establish contacts with these parties so that they can become part of the democratic dialogue and function according to the rules of democracy.
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“Green Danger” - 11.02.02
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