*{Bridging the Religious Divide: Special Message from.... [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/Bridging%20the%20Religious%20Divide%3A%20Special%20Message%20from....?open&topic_id=300250000&theme_id=300]

            25.01.2001

            Annual Meeting 2001}

            *partie=titre Qatar’s Ruler Speaks of Islam’s Potential to Bridge Religious Divides *partie=nil

            His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar and Chairman, Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said in a special message that Islam can play an important role in bridging the religious divides and help in building a global economy with a human face. There is an element of urgency in achieving these objectives, the Emir said, because the globalization process is attracting mixed feelings in rich and poor nations alike. He said that Islam could bridge the gap between nations because its primary objective to establish an international system is based on equality and solidarity.

            However, the Emir emphasized that Islamic principles complemented, not conflicted, with principles of the global economy. For 14 centuries, he pointed out, Islam has called on its followers to rationalize trade and help in building global unity. "People would not have built barriers if they had listened to the call of the Koran which calls on people from the East and the West to come together," the Emir remarked. He added that history has shown that periods of prosperity in the Islamic world have coincided with times when nations opened their doors to new ideas and innovations.

            On the reverse side, Islam’s influence clearly receded during times when tight control was exercised. One example was when countries were under colonial rule. However, the Emir said that the Islamic world today clearly wants to integrate itself with the global economy and that more than 1 billion Muslims living in the developing world obviously have the potential to build the global village. Islam, he said, wants to break down barriers and help people in seeking knowledge in the farthest poles. He added that participation by Islamic countries in regional groupings such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Group of 15, demonstrated that they were not interested in linkages built strictly on religious lines. The Organization of the Islamic Conference had also opened its doors to countries where the Muslim community is in a minority.

            "We believe in dialogue, not conflict," the Emir said. "We want to build a civilization based on humanity, rather than monopoly and force. The world should fear ignorance and poverty, rather than religion. Muslims all over the world believe that the world is a single family and that cooperation without a cultural dialogue will have no meaning."                 

                  *{Contributors:       Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani       Schwab Klaus}