Yesterday (Sunday, October 26, 2008) was a fascinating day of stumbling into global perspectives that continue to shrink my world. I got into the office and did my routine start-up of checking and responding to e-mail and then noticed an interesting meeting on my schedule - "Chinese Embassy Delegation re: exchanges." I ran off to the meeting wondering who would be there and what would unfold in the conversation. To my great surprise, I walked into the conference room only to find one of my Qatari colleagues finishing a presentation on Qatar Foundation and waiting to turn the meeting over to me. I've become increasingly comfortable in not knowing what to expect from moment to moment in my work but this one really threw me.
The Chinese delegation was guided by an under-secretary of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and included four representatives from higher education and business in China. The programs represented were; Beijing International Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University, Northwest University for Nationalities, and the founder and president of "First Real-Name Blog Portal for Chinese Intellectuals." I asked if English would be acceptable for our meeting and was told, "yes." It didn't take but a minute for one of the Chinese participants to turn to my Qatari colleague to ask a question of him in perfect Arabic. Suddenly the communication shifted and I realized that the common language of the room was Arabic, not English or Chinese. Wow! Who would have thought... a meeting with Chinese intellectuals, conducted in Arabic, and translated by a Qatari for the English speaker who knew neither Chinese or Arabic (me). All in all, the meeting was a success and ended with an agreement that I would attempt to broker a meeting with my superiors so that the People's Republic Ambassador could begin to introduce the possibility of student and faculty exchanges between Education City and the institutions represented by our visitors.
Later in the evening I attended the Rand-Qatar Policy Institute celebration of five years in Doha and 60 years of the Rand Institute. Rand is a research and think-tank organization that has provided considerable assistance to Qatar in researching and proposing models for improvement of education, public policy, and capacity building. There were two panels of their researchers and other guests who explored questions about the status of the Gulf and the impact that the upcoming election in the U.S.A. will have on the area. The panels were interesting, although I was surprised at the off-handed references that reflected their ignorance or disdain for the Middle East - simple things like "I don't know what people over here think, but..." or inaccurate language such as using Arab, Persian, Muslim, Islamic, jihad, and other terms as simply colorful synonyms to depict the people "over here." Frankly, it was sad because these people are supposedly well informed about the Middle East but the imprecise and careless language was very telling.
The show-stopper for the Rand-Qatar Policy Institute celebration was when a Qatari in the audience asked the question of the panel, "What's holding us back from fulfilling the promise of our intellectual heritage? Why is the Arab world always subject to the advice and direction of the West?" I turned to a colleague beside me after the question was asked - "Breathtaking," I commented. This is a room with 90% Westerners and a precious few Qatari or other Arab people and this man was turning the microscope on himself. But, was he really? The panel offered platitudes like political will, visionary leadership, development that helps people understand the systems, and education. After considerable intellectual fumbling, the convener of the panel returned to the man who asked the question, "What do you think? What's the greatest impediment you see?" The room fell silent because we all knew that what this gentleman would say would eclipse the others' comments. "Empathy." A stunningly simple one word answer to what's holding the Arab world back. He developed the idea a bit but not so much to keep the word from hanging in my mind for the rest of the evening - empathy. But whose empathy for whom and what's not being understood?
I don't know for sure but the empathy that I see as holding us back is more about Westerners' lack of understanding than anything else. Lack of understanding for what it's been like to be at the epicenter of the world for centuries, first as a critical trade route and then as the custodian for the world's cheapest and most readily usable fuel source, and having others attempt to control you by political, military, or economic means. The best thing the panel convener said all night was that perhaps Barack Obama (yes, and the panel pretty well concluded that it's a done deal) should begin his Presidency with a "Listening Tour" that would travel across the globe to ask others what they think of the U.S.A. and the role it should play in the modern day. Yes, empathy may be what's holding us back more than anything and the question will be, how do we all foster the empathy for each other that will begin to take us to a new level? - global perspectives creating a smaller world.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
If you want to understand Islam...
If you want to escape the pervasive ignorance about Islam in the western world, No god but God by Reza Aslan is a must!
Aslan's credentials set him apart as an authoritative source on Islam and other religions. His knowledge is complemented by a writing style that is more characteristic of a novel than a historic analysis of theologies. This is a story of real people in history who struggled with a pagan and idolatrous world that worshiped many gods. No god but God traces the evolution of Islam from its origins as one of the major monotheistic religions of the world (a monotheistic perspective that shares many stories, prophets, and martyrs with Judaism and Christianity) to the splintered perspectives that are the source of so much conflict in the contemporary world.
Aslan helps us see that Muslims are very diverse in their perspectives and that most are moderate, committed, and seek the same things that Jews, Christians, and other religious groups seek. Islam's prophet, Muhammad, created a tolerant and peaceful existence for these three groups in Medina and he would never have tolerated the schisms that now exist.
One of the primary reasons that Islam struggles with splinter groups is that no successor was named when Muhammad died in the middle of the 7th century. This resulted in almost immediate competition for the leadership of Islam, a contest that spawned Shi'ah, Sunni, Sufi, Kharijite, Wahhabi, and other sects of Islam. They all trace their beliefs to Muhammad but the beliefs about what one should do as a Muslim vary considerably. Aslan's final thesis is that how these groups work out their differing views is essentially the same process that occurred during the Crusades and later in the Protestant Reformation. While there are Muslims who would take offense at this proposal, how likely would it have been for Crusaders or Reformation figures to have seen their wars and struggles as evolution toward a differentiated but shared faith?
The differences that exacerbate Islam's emergence include 1) colonial occupations throughout the regions where Islam is now a force, 2) modern competition for oil/gas and other resources in these lands, and 3) media that have created a transparent and real time world. These dynamics have denied Islam the opportunity to work out its theology and practice without the intervention of nations with vested interests. And, because there is so much ignorance about the various forms of Islam, the U.S.A. and other nations have all too often supported sects of Islam about which they had very little, if any, accurate knowledge. The strangest of the western allies was the Taliban who were recruited and armed by the CIA in the insurrection against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
Islam struggles today but this struggle is internal rather than external. Islam is not waging a war on democracy and the more the west behaves as if it is, the more power extremist Islam has in its competition with moderate Islam. Anti-Muslim sentiment and slogans only galvanize those who use this opposition to recruit more Muslims to fundamentalism.
If you're interested in watching a couple of videos that reflect Aslan's views, you could try the recent CNN interview related to Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia University or view his analysis of the "cosmic conflict" that he believes undermines the efforts to establish dialogue between the west and the emerging Muslim world of 1.5 billion people. His point is that the rhetoric of the "war on terror" has only enhanced the position of Islamic extremists as it has given them material with which to weave the tapestry of grievance of anti-imperialism. What the western world does not understand is that the seeds of Al Qaeda were planted during British colonial rule and have been fueled by the economic imperialism of the U.S.A. as it has drawn oil and gas from the Middle East. Unfortunately, ignorance and intolerance has given Al Qaeda a ready agenda to use in recruiting its followers.
Aslan's credentials set him apart as an authoritative source on Islam and other religions. His knowledge is complemented by a writing style that is more characteristic of a novel than a historic analysis of theologies. This is a story of real people in history who struggled with a pagan and idolatrous world that worshiped many gods. No god but God traces the evolution of Islam from its origins as one of the major monotheistic religions of the world (a monotheistic perspective that shares many stories, prophets, and martyrs with Judaism and Christianity) to the splintered perspectives that are the source of so much conflict in the contemporary world.
Aslan helps us see that Muslims are very diverse in their perspectives and that most are moderate, committed, and seek the same things that Jews, Christians, and other religious groups seek. Islam's prophet, Muhammad, created a tolerant and peaceful existence for these three groups in Medina and he would never have tolerated the schisms that now exist.
One of the primary reasons that Islam struggles with splinter groups is that no successor was named when Muhammad died in the middle of the 7th century. This resulted in almost immediate competition for the leadership of Islam, a contest that spawned Shi'ah, Sunni, Sufi, Kharijite, Wahhabi, and other sects of Islam. They all trace their beliefs to Muhammad but the beliefs about what one should do as a Muslim vary considerably. Aslan's final thesis is that how these groups work out their differing views is essentially the same process that occurred during the Crusades and later in the Protestant Reformation. While there are Muslims who would take offense at this proposal, how likely would it have been for Crusaders or Reformation figures to have seen their wars and struggles as evolution toward a differentiated but shared faith?
The differences that exacerbate Islam's emergence include 1) colonial occupations throughout the regions where Islam is now a force, 2) modern competition for oil/gas and other resources in these lands, and 3) media that have created a transparent and real time world. These dynamics have denied Islam the opportunity to work out its theology and practice without the intervention of nations with vested interests. And, because there is so much ignorance about the various forms of Islam, the U.S.A. and other nations have all too often supported sects of Islam about which they had very little, if any, accurate knowledge. The strangest of the western allies was the Taliban who were recruited and armed by the CIA in the insurrection against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
Islam struggles today but this struggle is internal rather than external. Islam is not waging a war on democracy and the more the west behaves as if it is, the more power extremist Islam has in its competition with moderate Islam. Anti-Muslim sentiment and slogans only galvanize those who use this opposition to recruit more Muslims to fundamentalism.
If you're interested in watching a couple of videos that reflect Aslan's views, you could try the recent CNN interview related to Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia University or view his analysis of the "cosmic conflict" that he believes undermines the efforts to establish dialogue between the west and the emerging Muslim world of 1.5 billion people. His point is that the rhetoric of the "war on terror" has only enhanced the position of Islamic extremists as it has given them material with which to weave the tapestry of grievance of anti-imperialism. What the western world does not understand is that the seeds of Al Qaeda were planted during British colonial rule and have been fueled by the economic imperialism of the U.S.A. as it has drawn oil and gas from the Middle East. Unfortunately, ignorance and intolerance has given Al Qaeda a ready agenda to use in recruiting its followers.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Alive or living?
Eid break provided a phenomenal opportunity for Darbi and me to join a tour of the Moroccan Atlas mountains provided by the Intrepid organization. The tour was in the special "Intrepid Active" category which stimulated more than a little anxiety in me as I prepared for the trip. When our tour guide, Moha, informed me that I was the oldest participant in the active tours to date, I was more than a little relieved that I had completed the week of biking, hiking, and climbing without incident. Thus, the title of my post, "Alive or living?" I came to the realization that my work and personal life are more about living than I've ever had the chance to pursue. I'm not just alive. I am living a very active experience of exploring new cultures, new history, and new ways of being in the world - pretty amazing for this time in my life!
The Atlas mountains were a complete surprise. Having grown up in Colorado, I couldn't imagine mountains of any substance in Morocco. What I found was amazingly beautiful mountains and lush "oasis" valleys that are supporting a friendly and simple cultural group called Berberes. The Berbere people were originally distributed throughout North Africa prior to the colonial occupation by both Arab and French people at different times in history. The Berberes have been pushed more into the mountainous territories of Morocco, Algiers, Libya, and all the way over to Egypt. Moha was very clear that he was Berbere first, African second, and not at all Arab. There are many in Morocco who are actually of mixed cultural heritage but Moha was very proud of being Berbere and having grown up in a mountain village much like the scene to the left. Our exploration of the high Atlas included a 40 kilometer mountain biking excursion, a 16 kilometer hike/climb, and some of the most spectacular scenery I've seen for a while.In addition to visiting the high Atlas, we visited the "little Sahara" which is a plateau valley between the high and "ante Atlas" range. This is where we found desert landscapes at the foot of the snow-capped Atlas range in the background. One particular village, Ait Binhaddou (pictured to lower right), was 700 years old and has been used as the backdrop movie set for many films including "Gladiator" and "Jesus of Nazareth."
It's hard to fully explain the insights I gained from this adventure to Morocco. I discovered, as is usual these days, that I'm missing much of the world's history and understanding of heritage and culture. Most of all, before trips like this, I've been afraid of other places that are strange, different, or have been in the news as politically troubled. Morocco has had its incidents but the people are very engaging and welcoming. I now understand that another culture, the Berberes, have a wonderful history that they seek to preserve and share with others. The Berberes are industrious, smart, and eager for the world to know of their contributions over centuries of productivity. And, they are attempting through tourism and new political activism to draw attention to their rights as people who inhabited this region of the world for thousands of years.
It appears in my posts that I've become a bit excessive in my travels - and, I probably have. But it is so fun and adds so much to my "living" to know about the world beyond the narrow North American perspective that I've had for so long.
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