Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at 1:01am
Culture is still the world's big divide
Column: All Paths
There is no bigger religious or diplomatic story for this week or perhaps this year than Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey. Any person who claims to be an agent of peace and good will on this planet should wish him well on this journey. He has a golden opportunity to use his gargantuan global spiritual standing to challenge what many now call the "clash of civilizations," a phrase put into popular usage as the title of a book by Samuel Huntington.
In this book Huntington stated: "The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future."
The focal point in this supposed clash of civilizations is, of course, the Muslims vs. the societies of the West. Does this clash exist? Do we have to affirm this postulation by Mr. Huntington? No, we don't, but it certainly appears that many of us have.
It seems that Pope Benedict has as well. We all remember the unfortunate remarks he made earlier this year when he implied that Islam was a violent religion. Regardless of his intent and the context in which he made these remarks, he jumped into the clash of civilizations in a major supporting way. However, we have to give him credit for taking this journey to Turkey. I applaud him for it. And, I hope that he is greeted with a sense of hope and openness on every stop of this important trip.
I think he is exposing himself to a lot by deciding to take this trip. I can't question his openness at all in this regard. He also has to prove it by his words as well. This is where he can borrow from the book of his predecessor, John Paul II, who visited Ankara and Istanbul in 1979.
John Paul came away from that trip perceived as a global community builder and not an agent of inter-religious conflict. John Paul was able to do this by speaking about one single God, and engaging in dialogue that focused on shared values and morals. He chose his words carefully, and that is what this pope needs to do.
So when the pope says that his words were taken out of context, I will accept that. It sounds a bit naïve for a very learned fellow. So now there is no excuse. He now knows his words carry great weight and will be subject to misrepresentation.
Pope Benedict should read the report by a U.N.-sponsored group called the Alliance of Civilizations, which was created last year to find ways to bridge the growing divide between Muslim and Western societies. One of the recommendations of this report was that "Leaders and shapers of public opinion should behave responsibly and work to promote understanding among cultures." This is a simple thing to remember.
Finally, I hope the pope will not embark on this trip believing in this supposed clash of civilizations. I would like him to consider that most of the religious conflict around the globe is based on a fear and lack of understanding of different cultures. And, that with this shrinking globe due to technology, some cultures fear that their identities and traditions will be consumed by Western values or outside forces.
This fear is being manifested in inter-religious conflict. Globalization presents the religious leaders of the world with the difficult challenge of using the common values of peace, understanding and compassion to build a global civil society. They need to understand this and rise to meet this challenge.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (who will be replaced by South Korean Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1) said about the report by the Alliance of Civilizations: "It was clear that religion is not at the root of current tensions. The problem is not the Koran or the Torah or the Bible. The problem is never the faith, it is the faithful and how they behave toward each other."
Holy Father, please remember this. I wish you well on this journey. We can't afford for you to fail.
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Rev. Jay Speights is an interfaith minister and main United Nations representative for The New Seminary in New York. He has a master's degree in public policy. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Jay Speights
In this book Huntington stated: "The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future."
The focal point in this supposed clash of civilizations is, of course, the Muslims vs. the societies of the West. Does this clash exist? Do we have to affirm this postulation by Mr. Huntington? No, we don't, but it certainly appears that many of us have.
It seems that Pope Benedict has as well. We all remember the unfortunate remarks he made earlier this year when he implied that Islam was a violent religion. Regardless of his intent and the context in which he made these remarks, he jumped into the clash of civilizations in a major supporting way. However, we have to give him credit for taking this journey to Turkey. I applaud him for it. And, I hope that he is greeted with a sense of hope and openness on every stop of this important trip.
I think he is exposing himself to a lot by deciding to take this trip. I can't question his openness at all in this regard. He also has to prove it by his words as well. This is where he can borrow from the book of his predecessor, John Paul II, who visited Ankara and Istanbul in 1979.
John Paul came away from that trip perceived as a global community builder and not an agent of inter-religious conflict. John Paul was able to do this by speaking about one single God, and engaging in dialogue that focused on shared values and morals. He chose his words carefully, and that is what this pope needs to do.
So when the pope says that his words were taken out of context, I will accept that. It sounds a bit naïve for a very learned fellow. So now there is no excuse. He now knows his words carry great weight and will be subject to misrepresentation.
Pope Benedict should read the report by a U.N.-sponsored group called the Alliance of Civilizations, which was created last year to find ways to bridge the growing divide between Muslim and Western societies. One of the recommendations of this report was that "Leaders and shapers of public opinion should behave responsibly and work to promote understanding among cultures." This is a simple thing to remember.
Finally, I hope the pope will not embark on this trip believing in this supposed clash of civilizations. I would like him to consider that most of the religious conflict around the globe is based on a fear and lack of understanding of different cultures. And, that with this shrinking globe due to technology, some cultures fear that their identities and traditions will be consumed by Western values or outside forces.
This fear is being manifested in inter-religious conflict. Globalization presents the religious leaders of the world with the difficult challenge of using the common values of peace, understanding and compassion to build a global civil society. They need to understand this and rise to meet this challenge.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (who will be replaced by South Korean Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1) said about the report by the Alliance of Civilizations: "It was clear that religion is not at the root of current tensions. The problem is not the Koran or the Torah or the Bible. The problem is never the faith, it is the faithful and how they behave toward each other."
Holy Father, please remember this. I wish you well on this journey. We can't afford for you to fail.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights is an interfaith minister and main United Nations representative for The New Seminary in New York. He has a master's degree in public policy. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Jay Speights