Opportunities for a Change in Perspective
The "Arab World Days", held in the German Bundestag from December 1 to 3, were an important step toward improvements in mutual understanding. This kind of change in perspective is overdue in a world full of negative stereotypes both old and new, as Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse emphasized at the opening of the three-day event.
More than 300 politicians, parliamentarians and scholars from the Near and Mid-East, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula came to Berlin for a forum of dialogue and encounter.
In his opening speech Thierse noted: "For many of us, this world is still foreign, and our notions about it are not entirely free of ignorance, prejudices and occasionally false generalizations as well, even though the Arab states are our immediate neighbors."
The participants started off the event by speaking out against extremism and calling for the elimination of prejudice. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder warned against a battle of the cultures: "In our countries we need to fight for culture. What we do not need is a fight among the cultures."
An opening for reforms
Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League and former Egyptian Secretary of State, warned against equating Islam with terrorism. He called for mutual respect and the elimination of prejudices, saying that all must join forces to combat fanaticism and extremism and offer resistance to the extremists who are attempting to make the Arab and Islamic world into a platform for their views.
Mohamad Safadi, Chair of the Lebanese-German Friendship Group in Lebanon's National Assembly, called for urgently-needed reforms in the Arab countries to combat the high level of youth unemployment. Here he hoped for help from the Europeans.
"We would like to have some kind of process starting in Europe to convince the Arab governments that reforms bring advantages. We need reforms in the democratic sphere, in human rights. There is nowhere where we do not need reforms," emphasized Safadi.
In his view, some Arab governments believe that these reforms could threaten their own internal security. Safadi regards dialogue as a crucial element: "We need some kind of persuasive dialogue between Europe and the Arab countries to help them open up to reforms."
Dialogue with the Arab world means dialogue with all groups in its society, according to Safadi. That means not only with the official government representatives and the cultural elites, but also with civil society, to the extent it already exists. The highest priority ought to be placed on the young people – especially as they make up around 60 percent of the population in the Arab world – and on women.
Industry builds bridges
On that note, Michael Inacker, member of the board of directors at DaimlerChrysler, proposed an exchange program for high school and university students aimed at eliminating prejudices and negative stereotypes. The program could be modeled after the Franco-German Youth Office, which made great strides toward reconciling the two societies after World War Two.
For Inacker, politicians have the responsibility to work together with industry to initiate these kinds of models for relations with the Arab world: "Here industry plays a crucial role as a builder of bridges every single day."
DaimlerChrysler trains women for management positions at its branches in Iran, Inacker reported. In addition, the company is sponsoring a humanitarian project in Iraq in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee. According to Innacker, the project involves building a sports center near Baghdad to give women the opportunity to practice sports.
Representing the Muslims' interests in Germany
In the view of Bundestag President Thierse, much also remains to be done in Europe, which is now home to nearly 13 million Muslims. He would like to see the Muslims in Germany develop a clear organizational structure on the state and federal level and agree upon a common lobby to represent their interests.
This is important because the German political sphere needs dialogue partners, for example on issues of religion classes or for public discussions of fundamentalist movements.
European responsibility in the Arab World
The Moroccan human rights activist Assia Bensaleh Alaoui emphasized that the west bears a great responsibility for reviving the credibility of democracy and human rights in the Arab world – not only because of the images of torture from the Iraqi prison Abu Ghraib, now known throughout the world.
In Berlin Alaoui said that the Arab world needs the west so that it can "move away from a strategy of confrontation with Islam". According to Alaoui, it is impossible to fight what is known as "jihad" – "holy war" – while waging crusades oneself. The attitude is highly destructive for the Arab world because it forces Islam to take responsibility "for everything that doesn't function properly."
Europe can only enjoy lasting stability if there is peace in the region as well, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder noted at the event in Berlin. Schröder spoke of the conflicts in Iraq and between Israelis and Palestinians as "the two biggest challenges in the Middle East".
Here, too, the European Union can play a role with its so-called "Barcelona Process", emphasized Joachim Hörster, Chair of the parliamentary group "Arab World". This form of cooperation with the Mediterranean states is extremely important.
In Hörster's opinion, the Barcelona Process promotes cooperation among the countries bordering the Mediterranean. The process also aims at building up a mutual partnership in the areas of politics and security as well as economics and finance. And finally, in Hörster's words, it also encourages partnership among the Mediterranean countries on a cultural and human level.
Eye to eye
From the German point of view, said Hörster, the aim is to cultivate a partnership where both see eye to eye. The basic precondition for this is that the countries of the Arab world must decide to move in a direction which improves and promotes opportunities for the individual.
Here Germans can contribute advice and assistance, Hörster believes. However, the decisions must be made by the countries themselves.
Sabine Ripperger
© DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE 2004
Translation from German: Isabel Cole