Press release

“Given that this mistrust runs both ways…a failure to change our approach threatens a deepening spiral of division between the United States and Muslim communities.” – Barack Obama, May 19, 2011

“US AND THEM” VS “WE ARE THEM”: SYMPOSIUM ON MUSLIM-WEST RELATIONS TO BE HELD AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Washington DC, (19 May) –

President Obama’s May 19 speech focused on the current events in the Middle East and what they mean for US involvement in the region.

For a group of scholars of Islam and the Muslim world meeting at Georgetown University next week, the speech is an important opportunity to radically rethink Muslim-West relations.

For Jen’nan G. Read, associate professor of sociology and global health at Duke University; “…many of the comments sounded redundant to the Cairo speech and rang hollow in today’s context… [however] President Obama followed these assessments with concrete proposals to implement that would empower people throughout the region.”

Ian Almond, professor of Transnational Literatures at Georgia State University, takes a distinct economic perspective of the speech, commenting that “…the American vision of freedom for the Middle East is still the freedom of the free market, the ‘freedom’ of the World Bank and the IMF – the emphasis on business and economy shows how differently the US interprets the Arab desire for freedom from Osama Bin Laden.”

As Obama stated in his speech; “…a failure to change our approach [to the Middle East] threatens a deepening spiral of division between the United States and Muslim communities.” Nearly ten years after 9/11, why are relations between Muslims and non-Muslims so polarized? What are the roots of the “mistrust” that President Obama referred to? And, more crucially, what can be done to help improve relations across these communities?

In the wake of Obama’s historic speech on American strategy in the Middle East and during his visit to the United Kingdom, the British Council and the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University are hosting a two-day symposium entitled “Deconstructing the ‘Clash of Civilizations’: Towards a New Paradigm”. The objective of this event is to help reframe the discourse surrounding Muslim and non-Muslim affairs, shifting from an “us” vs “them” construct to a more inclusive understanding of relations between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Though the symposium sessions are closed to the public and press, there will be an opportunity for the public and the media to engage with symposium participants on May 24, with a public panel from 6.00 to 7.30pm. Entitled “From ‘Us and Them’ to ‘We are Them’: Rethinking Muslim-West Relations and our Common Identity”, this panel will analyze and debate pertinent questions surrounding current Muslim and non-Muslim relations.

The panel will feature: US Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference Rashad Hussain; Georgetown Professor and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, John Esposito; NPR Foreign Correspondent Deborah Amos; and Gallup Senior Analyst Mohamed Younis. It will be chaired by Sarah Joseph, Editor and CEO of Emel Magazine.

Selected symposium participants will be available for interview by the media for a half hour before and after the panel discussion. This event is jointly organized by the British Council and the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University.

Quotes from Symposium participants:

Without directly stating the failure of the conventional framework of US and EU Middle East policy (equating protection of national interests with stability and security of authoritarian regimes), Obama shifted to a new narrative and framework: the pursuit of our national interests within America's principles of self-determination, democracy and human rights.

Prof. John Esposito – University Professor and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University

The President’s speech today signified a clear recognition by the US that a desire for self-determination, human dignity and freedom as expressed by many throughout the region in the past months are universal values shared by both Americans and the people of the region. His administration’s success on engaging the region’s economic challenges through trade and supporting entrepreneurship in addition to aid, particularly in countries undergoing a period of transition will prove to be an important litmus test for US-Muslim relations in the coming years.”

Dr. Mohamed Younis – Senior Analyst, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies

President Obama offered a mixture of new ideas and old ones. His offer of economic support to Tunisia and, particularly, Egypt is most welcome. This will help the new emerging orders deal with some of their pressing problems. The President's support for democracy across the region is also welcome. But the speech was extremely disappointing with regard to the American position on Israel-Palestine. The President has missed a great opportunity to show leadership. Instead he told us what we already know and what we know is not working.

Prof. Yasir Suleiman – Professor of Modern Arabic Studies, Cambridge University

From an American perspective, Obama’s speech is braver than usual – his emphasis on a return to the Palestinian pre-1967 boundaries, for example, is refreshing, as well as his criticism of close US ally Bahrain. But the American vision of freedom for the Middle East is still the freedom of the free market, the ‘freedom’ of the World Bank and the IMF – the emphasis on business and economy shows how differently the US interprets the Arab desire for freedom from Osama Bin Laden. Obama’s unfortunate choice of words at the close – “Our own nation was founded through a rebellion against an empire” – may well be understood by many in the Middle East in a wholly unintended way.

Prof. Ian Almond – Professor of Transnational Literatures, Georgia State University

Obama gave a historic speech today that marks a serious departure from past US policy toward the Middle East. He managed to capture the significance of this historic moment of transformation and change with appropriate humility. He addressed all the core themes that matter to people in the region – democracy, human rights, the plight of the Palestinians and economic development. Decades of misguided US policies, however, have left Arabs and Muslims deeply cynical. What they will be looking for is concrete action, not eloquent speeches. If Obama actually pursues the new policies he has outlined today, especially in Israel/Palestine, US-Islamic relations will be radically transformed.

Prof. Nader Hashemi – Assistant Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver

President Obama's statements today on economic development continue to develop the themes he talked about in Cairo two years ago. The US cannot stand in the way of people's desire to be free, and no political interest we have is worth that cost. The way for us to help, is not interfere in the political process, but to create an economic environment that ensures a robust political discussion.

Dr. Hussein Rashid – Adjunct Instructor of Religion, Hofstra University

President Obama’s speech on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East today was both disappointing and inspiring. It was disappointing in that many of the comments sounded redundant to the Cairo speech and rang hollow in today’s context. Calling for “a new chapter in American diplomacy” was anti-climatic in the wake of the Arab spring and Osama bin Laden’s death. Saying “it will be years before this story reaches its end" flirted dangerously with Arab and Muslim fears worldwide over the seemingly endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But unlike the speech in Cairo, President Obama followed these assessments with concrete proposals to implement that would empower people throughout the region. It called on global allies to take proactive steps to allow the Middle East to modernize and progress from within. It acknowledged the real root of unrest in the Islamic world—economic, social, and religious oppression.

These inspiring statements will have to be followed by concrete actions if U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is truly going to succeed.

Prof. Jen’nan G. Read - Associate Professor of Sociology and Global Health, Duke University

CONTACTS:

Kate Norman, British Council, Kate.Norman@britishcouncil.org or 202-588-7838

Tim Rivera, British Council, Tim.Rivera@britishcouncil.org or 202-588-7682

Rachel M. Pugh, Georgetown University http://contact.georgetown.edu/index.cfm?Action=View&NetID=rmp47 or 202-687-4328

About the British Council: The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international non-profit organization for cultural relations and education opportunities. Working in over 100 countries, we build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. In the US, we cultivate long-term links between the UK and US, re-energizing the strategic transatlantic relationship through the arts, education and young leadership networks. To learn more, please visit http://www.britishcouncil.org.

For more information about Our Shared Future, please visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/new/society/belief-in-dialogue/our-shared-future/.

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About the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University: The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was founded in 1993 by an agreement between the Fondation pour L'Entente entre Chretiens et Musulmans, Geneva and Georgetown University to build stronger bridges of understanding between the Muslim world and the West as well as between Islam and Christianity.

The Center's mission is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West and enhance understanding of Muslims in the West. The geographic scope and coverage of the center includes the breadth of the Muslim world, from North Africa to Southeast Asia, as well as Europe and America. Since its foundation, the Center has become internationally recognized as a leader in the field of Muslim-Christian relations.

In December 2005, the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (CMCU) received a $20 million dollar gift from HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, an internationally renowned businessman and global investor, to support and expand the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. The Center was renamed the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU). This endowed fund was the second largest single gift in Georgetown University history.

Please visit http://acmcu.georgetown.edu/ for more information

Press release

Quotes from Symposium participants:

CONTACTS:

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