Dear HumanDHS network friends
Please find below the 23-29 October Bulletin of the Common Ground News Service.
Kind regards
Brian Ward
Common Ground News Service
Partners in Humanity (CGNews-PiH)
for constructive & vibrant Muslim-Western relations
23 - 29 October 2007
The Common Ground News Service – Partners in Humanity (CGNews-PiH) aims to promote constructive perspectives and dialogue about Muslim–Western relations. CGNews-PiH is available in Arabic, English, French and Indonesian.
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Inside this edition
1) The right to change one’s religion by Shaykh Abdallah Adhami
In this last article in the series on apostasy and proselytism, Shaykh Abdallah Adhami, an Arab-American imam and a leading scholar of Islam, notes that historically “most major systems of law have affirmed that apostasy must be punished”. Yet, looking from the point of view of religion, and specifically of Islamic law or shari’a, he considers whether human judgement over “the private realm of apostasy” is possible.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23 October 2007)
2) Groundbreaking event in Muslim-Christian solidarity by Claude Salhani
Claude Salhani, editor of the Middle East Times, considers why the open letter sent last week by
138 senior Muslim leaders to the world’s Christians calling for peace and harmony between Christianity and Islam is a groundbreaking event in international solidarity.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23 October 2007)
3) Re-narration of Muslim-Western experiences by Audifax
Audifax, a psychologist and writer living in Indonesia, looks at how re-narration, a psychoanalytical technique for dealing with past experiences, can be used by both the Muslim world and the West to deal with the trauma caused by historical “scars”, such as the Crusades, that hinder Muslim-Western relations.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23 October 2007)
4) Indonesia: Is secularism a choice? by Ali Noer Zaman
Indonesia: Is secularism a choice? by Ali Noer Zaman Ali Noer Zaman, an Indonesian writer focusing on socio-religious issues, describes the debate between the secular versus the Islamic state in the Muslim world. He looks as an example to the case of Indonesia since the early 1900s.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23 October 2007)
5) ~Youth Views~ Comics bridge cultural gaps by Michael Chou and Youssef Morshedy
Michael Chou, a medical and arts student at the University of Melbourne, and Youssef Morshedy, a mass communication major at the American University of Cairo, examine the role of comics and animation as a public diplomacy tool. Looking at the global popularity of Japanese animation and comics around as a means of spreading Japanese culture through entertainment, they consider the potential impact of this medium on Muslim-Western understanding.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23 October 2007)
1) The right to change one’s religion
Shaykh Abdallah Adhami
New York, New York - From the Code of Hammurabi to the Code of Maimonides, most major systems of law have affirmed that apostasy must be punished.
In the renowned code of the Roman emperor Justinian (483-565 CE), corpus juris civilis — the basis of all Roman canon law and of modern civil law — apostasy was “to be punished by death” and there was “no toleration of dissent”.
The Biblical codes stipulate that the “one who doubts or ridicules one word of the Torah — or of the rabbinical authors — is a ‘heretic’ in the fullest sense, an infidel … and there is no hope for him.” The laws concerning such an unbeliever are very strict: “he may be killed directly”. Or as Maimonides, the 13th century Andalucian rabbi and philosopher, advised regarding the abeyance of apostasy law in his era, “his death may be caused indirectly.”
Islamic law, (shari’a), likewise stipulated killing in cases of established public apostasy.
Though there is little literature on the emergence and application of apostasy law in the early periods of Muslim history, its actual application usually depended upon whether its declaration was public or private. Within the Islamic state, what minorities — religious and otherwise — did in their private lives was left to their own discretion, even if it may have been technically termed “deviant” or against Islamic teaching.
Shari’a, like all religious law, governs rites of worship and codes of individual and communal conduct and ethics. Contrary to stereotypical notions of religion, the earthly realm within shari’a is in fact pragmatically understood to be essentially secular.
From the point of view of religion, the fundamental nature of the human being is to yearn to worship God unencumbered. The private realm of apostasy had thus always reflected more complex dimensions that make ultimate human judgment impossible. The mysteries of the heart and mind are as beyond theology as they are barely fathomable to neuroscience.
It is our creative encounter with earthly, secular life that reveals our capacity for usefulness to others, and it is the premier instrument by which our own spiritual station is elevated. Authentic, sincere worship ultimately becomes the daily barometer of our spiritual state.
Free, rational debate had always been accommodated within the religious context of shari’a. This was a uniquely Islamic phenomenon, as true in European Cordoba as it was in Arabian Baghdad. Neither the theological abstraction of the Mu’tazilites, a 9th century group of philosophers, nor the unmitigated foreign dialectics by the secretive 10th century group, Brethren of Purity, for example, was ever grounds for removing one from the fold of Islam.
The most salient evidence for not punishing “private” apostasy in Islam is the perennial existence of the so-called hypocrites amidst Medinan society despite grave Qur’anic passages against them. Moreover, private “heretical”
thought was neither censured nor censored; as long is it was not publicly preached, it was not condemned as such, nor were there articulations of a need to suppress it.
Outward or visible stability in the earthly domain is what allows the institutions of civil society to continue.
The non-violent resistance of the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca and his diplomacy during the Treaty of Hudaybiyah taught his companions a similar lesson. Under this Treaty, the Prophet allowed people to emigrate without any reprisal, despite the fact that they were abandoning Islam in the process (some having only adopted the new religion for reasons of self-interest).
No prophet was ever given the license to pass judgment over the faith of a human being — as the Qur’an repeatedly reiterates, judgment is ultimately with God alone. Hence, constructive service of our sacred traditions lies in showing their relevance as a vehicle of infinite creativity, not in demoting them to preoccupation with judgment of contemporary culture.
We need to acknowledge and affirm that diversity and difference are part of the divine intent for creation — that we were made as nations and tribes so that we may “learn about and be enriched by the ways of each other” (Qur’an, 49:13). Provincialism and relativism will always challenge diversity — especially when the latter is disguised as tolerance; and not because people are inherently incapable of living together, either.
We need a renewed devotion to the truth, and to seeking it freely through our established non-sectarian, scholarly institutions. Thomas Jefferson exhorted: “Truth is … the proper and sufficient antagonist to error.” It is only through respectful free argument and debate that ideologies can be judged and challenged on their own merits.
The reformation that is direly needed — across the entire globe — is the honest reassessment of the original sources of all our oppressive cultural myths and tyrannical modes of thinking.
As Muslims, we need to establish a higher barometer for what constitutes competence in the service of the scholarly disciplines of shari’a.
This would equip us with greater clarity and confidence and prevent us from thoughtlessly demonstrating in passionate protest every time a passing wind seems to challenge our faith.
As religious leaders of all faiths, we need to acknowledge our responsibility for much alienation and estrangement among the faithful around the world. This would begin to re-establish the credibility of our institutions, which would eventually re-ignite the religious imagination of the masses.
Lastly, we need a renewed commitment to focus on an ethos of compassionate, selfless service as a public trust; and this is certainly more becoming of the example of the Blessed Messengers that we claim loyalty to.
###
* Shaykh Abdallah Adhami is an Arab-American imam and a leading scholar of Islam. He is currently working on an exploration of the linguistic implications of apparently problematic verses in the Qur’an. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.Service.
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23 October 2007, www.commongroundnews.org Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
2) Groundbreaking event in Muslim-Christian solidarity
Claude Salhani
Washington, DC - “The future of the world depends
on peace between Muslims and Christians.” An open
letter carrying this message was sent by 138 of
the world’s most senior Muslim leaders to the
heads of all Christian churches — including Pope
Benedict XVI, addressing Christians around the
world on the eve of Eid ul Fitr, the Muslim holy
day marking the end of Ramadan.
This letter, a welcome high-profile olive branch
extended to all Christians, is described as a
truly historic event and was even more
significant in that among the signatories of the
document, one could find the names of several
prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Everybody thinks this is a historic event,” said
John L. Esposito, a professor at Georgetown
University and director of the Center for
Muslim-Christian Understanding: “…if you look at
the history of Islam and the Muslim world, this
is really the first time that we have an
initiative where Muslims have collectively come
together and agreed to what binds them to Christians,” said Esposito.
Indeed, this initiative by Muslim leaders from
around the world to reach out to all Christians
is a first, and it comes not a minute too late as
relations between the two communities are particularly strained.
The tensions came to a boil beginning with the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York
and Washington, DC, in which close to 3,000
people were killed. These terrorist attacks by
self-declared Muslims were followed by a series
of similarly murderous ones on Western targets
such as London, Madrid and other cities. The
controversy over the offensive caricature of the
Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, which
resulted in anti-Western riots from London to
Islamabad, added fuel to the fire only to be
followed by reportedly damaging statements from
the Pope about Islam and violence not long afterward.
The schism between the West and Muslims only seemed to be widening.
The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan — two
Muslim countries — spearheaded by the United
States and mostly Western coalition forces have
done nothing to abate that tension. The situation
was aggravated when President George W. Bush
spoke of a “crusade” at the outset of the Iraq
war, which is how many Muslims perceive the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Emerging as it does from the turmoil and tension
between the West and Islam, this document is
truly “a dramatic and groundbreaking display of
international solidarity,” as the letter was
described in a communiqué issued on behalf of Muslim leaders.
Esposito, an expert on Islam, emphasised that
Muslims and Christians share the same principles
of love of one God and love of the neighbour. The
Georgetown scholar pointed to a number of
similarities between the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Bible.
Despite language differences between the Hebrew
Old Testament, the original word of Jesus Christ
in Aramaic, and the actual transmitted Greek of
the New Testament, the three versions have the
same command: to love God fully with one’s heart
and soul and to be fully devoted to Him. The
Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, carries the same message.
“Everyone is interested in political and economic
contentions, difficulties, struggles, wars,” said
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies
at George Washington University, during a press
conference in Washington marking the event.
The differences between Christians and Muslims,
say the theological experts, is a difference of
theology rather than of politics.
“Without a theological solution, without a
certain sense of accepting the other…all other
solutions are expediency and sooner or later they wither away,” said Nasr.
“Post 9/11, a common question is: where are the
moderate Muslim voices?” said Esposito. “This
historic document is a crystal clear message of
peace and tolerance from 138 Muslim leaders from
across the Islamic world,” said Esposito.
The authors of the letter believe that with over
half of the world’s population consisting of
Muslims and Christians, meaningful world peace
can only come from peace and justice between those two faiths.
The signatories of the document, who include some
of the world’s most influential Islamic leaders
and thinkers, are calling for tolerance,
understanding and moderation. The uniqueness of
this approach lies not only in the fact that
Muslims have extended and opened their arms to
Christians, but it also marks “an historic
achievement in terms of Islamic unity,” according to Esposito.
What is significant in this case is that this
initiative groups Muslims from right across the
spectrum, uniting Sunnis and Shiites and
individuals ascribing to different schools of
thought within those two branches of Islam.
The driving force behind this letter, and a
previous one to the Pope by a smaller group of 38
scholars a year ago, has been the Royal Academy
of Jordan, an international and non-governmental
Islamic institute headquartered in Amman.
While the 138 signatures on this historic
document are those of recognised Muslim leaders,
for this initiative to succeed it needs the
support of the masses. This letter is undoubtedly
an encouraging step, but as one cynical
commentator put it, prominent as they may be,
these are still only 138 names out of 1.6 billion.
Indeed, the task facing mainstream Muslim leaders
— of reclaiming Muslim and Western attention away
from the radical minority — is as monumental as
the difference between 138 and 1.6 billion. But
as the saying goes, faith can move mountains.
###
* Claude Salhani is editor of the Middle East
Times. This article is distributed by the Common
Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23
October 2007, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
3) Re-narration of Muslim-Western experiences
Audifax
Surabaya, East Java – A lack of trust exists
between the Muslim world and the West despite
various attempts to bridge these two
civilisations. Since the tragedy of 9/11, each
side has become even more suspicious of the
other. Consider the demonstrations and violence
that occurred in response to the Pope’s speech in
September 2006, or the banning of the hijab
(headscarf) in France. It seems that this kind of
sensitivity will exist as long as the roots of
the problem are not addressed, and the potential
for disharmony will continue despite the various
attempts to build bridges between the Muslim world and the West.
One root of the Muslim-Western polemic may lie in
the collective subconscious. There is something
that lies latent but has the power to dominate
our conscious behaviour. Carl Jung, the famous
psychoanalyst, explained that the “shadow” is the
deepest layer of our personality and contains
personal and collective psychological qualities
that we are ashamed of. These relatively
autonomous elements become a part of our
psychological makeup and are capable of influencing actual behaviour.
This shadow, on a global level, clouds the
relationship between the Muslim world and the
West. Elements of the shadow are created from
past events and leave scars on both sides. The
Crusades, for example, occurred long ago in the
Middle Ages, but they left an indelible scar in
the collective subconscious of both Muslims and
the West. The events of 9/11 also have the
potential to leave scars. Such scars are
“remembered” in both Muslim and Western
socio-cultural institutions, persisting in the collective memory.
The persistence of these scars reinforces certain
stereotypes, causing some Westerners to say,
“Muslims are hostile toward democracy, women,
homosexuals and other religions”, while some
Muslims will say, “The West wants only to dominate us and demonise Islam”.
Perceptions such as these create barriers between
individuals and groups and reduce the likelihood
that one will engage with the other.
As a result, even though peace accords are signed
and public statements of good will and
collaboration are made, genuine contact between
Muslims and those in the West must also occur.
However, lasting scars create the fiction that
the stranger is threatening and frightening, and
as a result, some people are deceived by the
shadow that lies in the collective subconscious
telling them that Westerners are infidels or that
Muslims spread their doctrine by the sword. These
stereotypes induce fear and reduce the opportunity for harmonious relations.
Re-narration, a psychoanalytical technique for
dealing with past experiences, attempts to deal
with the trauma of historical scars,
deconstructing those narratives that promote mistrust and prejudice.
Re-narration causes people to transform the way
they see traumatic events from threatening and
personal, to neutral and objective. When
traumatic events are looked at through this lens,
the sadness, wounds, scars and tears become
superficial, neutralising the hurt.
Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic
movie, is an example of the re-narration of
stubborn scars related to Muslim-Western
relations. Loosely based on the life of Balian of
Ibelin, an important nobleman in the crusader
kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century, the
movie demonstrates that Christians, Muslims and
Jews can live together in harmony — so long as
fanaticism is kept at bay. It encourages
audiences to look beyond “who is wrong and who is right”.
This is demonstrated by Balian’s words: “The
wall? The Mosque? The Sepulchre? Who has claim?
No one has claim. All have claim! We defend this
city not to protect these stones, but the people
living within these walls.” The dialogue portrays
the war, not as one of religious identity, but as
an artistic work. Kingdom of Heaven transforms
the scars, allowing the shadow to leave the
subconscious, tearing down the walls that prevent
honest engagement with others.
The Hijabi Monologues is another example of
re-narration. The performance by two University
of Chicago graduate students creates a space
where Muslim American women can tell their
personal stories in their own words. Through the
power of re-narration, claims are challenged and
generalisations confronted. Listeners gain access
to shared human experiences and an enriched
understanding of the lives of these women, which
transcend superficial judgments based on their appearance.
Through re-narration, traumatic past experiences
are more readily accepted. Individuals do not
need to mourn at every memorial along their path.
This willingness to accept the past does not
necessarily mean completely forgetting traumatic
events, instead it is an openness, an acceptance
of an incident that has occurred in the past. And
in this openness there is unconditional
forgiveness for the other that does not demand
compensation, because it is does not involve financial or physical exchange.
Re-narration can take place through many mediums:
photography, art, theatre, dance, literature,
sitcom, even news. Only with true storytelling,
listening and understanding can the shadow that
is locked in the subconscious of both Muslims and
Westerners — including Muslim Westerners — be
released. Only then can bridging and
reconciliation attempts yield successful results.
###
* Audifax is a psychologist and author of “The
Myth of Harry Potter” (2005) and “Imagining Lara
Croft” (2006). This article is distributed by the
Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be
accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23
October 2007, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
4) Indonesia: Is secularism a choice?
Ali Noer Zaman
Jakarta - During his one-month visit to Indonesia
between July and August 2007, Professor Abdullahi
Ahmed An-Na’im, a Sudanese Muslim intellectual
who now teaches at Emory School of Law in the
United States, campaigned for Muslim countries to
adopt a secular system of governance. In this
system, the state is not based on specific
religious teachings, whose interpretations, he
argues, are monopolised by the authority. The
state would also not intervene in the religious
beliefs and practices of its subjects, with the
possible exception of donating aid to religious institutions.
An-Na’im disagrees with the efforts of those
political and social organisations that champion
for the adoption of shari’a, a political system
based on Islamic principles. He believes that
shari’a is based on time-bound religious
interpretations from scholars of previous eras.
These antiquated interpretations have many
shortcomings, such as the relegation of women and
non-Muslims to the role of second-class citizens in society.
Indeed, the debate over secular versus Islamic
states in the Muslim world is not a new one, and
has raged on since the abolishment of the Ottoman
caliphate in 1924. In Egypt, the Islamic scholar
Ali Abdul al-Raziq provoked controversy with his
book Islam wa Ushul al Hukm (Islam and the
Fundamentals of Government), in which he stated
that the main message of the Prophet Muhammad has
to do only with religious matters, while mundane
affairs are relegated to the ummah (Muslim
community). He rejected the unification of
religious and administrative affairs under the
control of a caliph who serves as a successor to the Prophet.
It is likely not by chance that An-Naim chose to
make this speech in Indonesia, a country with a
long history of secular nationalism that still
struggles with calls for the implementation of a
state governed by religious laws.
Sukarno (1901-1970), the first president of the
Republic of Indonesia and a secular nationalist,
was the first Indonesian Muslim leader who
triggered the discourse on the separation of
religion from politics, rejecting Islam as
political ideology, and preferring secular
democracy as a foundation for the country’s
government. For him, Islam within a secular state
would not be marginalised, but would instead
function as the moral force of the Muslim community.
In response, Muhammad Natsir (1908-1993), an
Indonesian scholar known for his Islamist
orientation, believed that Islam and the state
are inextricably linked; the first being an
ideology of the second. In practice, the state
has to be controlled by the Muslim authority
because it is a medium through which to implement
Islamic orders, such as those regulating zakat
(alms), religious marriage and the banning of alcohol and adultery.
As Suharto’s New Order administration (1967-1998)
reinforced modernisation, the Muslim community in
general suspected it as having a hidden agenda to
mitigate the role of Islam in socio-political
life. To get out of the deadlock, the young
thinker Nurcholish Madjid (1939-2005) made a
breakthrough by proposing the idea that Islamic
values could be realised through spiritual and
cultural development. Categorising Islam as a
political ideology would only trap the religion
in political interest conflicts. In his words:
Islam, yes; Islamic political parties, no.
Indonesia in the post-Suharto era has maintained
the Pancasila, a political ideology comprised of
the belief in one God, humanity, the unity of
Indonesia, democracy and social justice. However,
demands for the implementation of shari’a remain
audible as many Muslim social organisations seek
to integrate facets of shari’a by hiding them
within an amendment to chapter 29 of the 1945
constitution, which says that the Muslim
community should practice its religion fully and through local regulations.
In a 2002 national survey conducted by the Centre
for Research of Islam and Community at Syarif
Hidayatullah State University, Indonesia’s Muslim
community also demonstrated growing interest in
an Islamic state. In this study, for example, 71%
of respondents supported the implementation of
shari’a in Indonesia. However, it is worth noting
that only 33% agreed with cutting off a thief’s
hand as punishment for stealing, which some would
argue is a quintessential example of shari’a at
work. These findings indicate that though the
majority of respondents diverge in their
understanding of what shari’a, would look like.
In addition, the result of the democratic
elections of 1999 and 2004 suggest that the
majority of Indonesians are still loyal to
nationalist secular parties such as the Golkar
Party, also known as the Party of the Functional
Groups, and the Indonesian Democratic Party of
the Struggle, instead of Islamic-based parties
such as the United Development Party and the Prosperous Justice Party.
Also, a national poll conducted by the Indonesian
Survey Institute earlier in October revealed
decreased support for Islamic radical
organisations such as the Jamaat Islamiah,
Defenders Front for Islam, Indonesian Hizbut
Tahrir and the Indonesian Martyrs Council for a
variety of reasons, including the lack of
financial resources and the incapability to
translate Islamic values into socio-political movements.
If these polling results are any indication,
Indonesia is unlikely to become an Islamic state anytime in the near future.
###
*Ali Noer Zaman is a writer on socio-religious
issues. This article is distributed by the Common
Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23
October 2007, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
5) ~Youth Views~ Comics bridge cultural gaps
Michael Chou and Youssef Morshedy
Washington, DC/ Maadi, Egypt - One way of looking
at the tensions between the Muslim world and the
West is as a “war of ideas”, with each side
attempting to influence the other’s “hearts and
minds”. This paradigm suggests that at the heart
of this tension lies misunderstandings and
stereotypes when it comes to the other’s culture,
values and ideology. Arguably, then, innovative
public diplomacy initiatives that address these
root causes may be effective means of improving in Muslim-Western relations.
To this end, governments and other organisations
are devoting more attention to the cultural
aspects of their diplomacy efforts through
initiatives such as international film festivals
and book fairs that introduce foreign populations
to different cultures and values.
Of course, any good relationship must be a
two-way street. A bridging of the tensions
between cultures requires both sides be receptive
to learning about the other. More importantly,
both sides must take an initiative in
communicating their values to enhance intercultural understanding.
Surprisingly, effective communication and
exchange of Muslim and Western ideas, values and
perspectives can take place through the world of comics and animation.
Over the past decade, the comic-publishing and
animation industries have developed into a
multi-billion dollar market, seemingly dominated
by Japanese firms. The ascension of the Japanese
comics and animation industry is a recent
phenomenon though. In the last 20 years, Japanese
comics and animation series have gained immense
popularity around the globe. By surreptitiously
serving as Japanese cultural products, it seems
reasonable to speculate that as the current
generation of children matures, anti-Japanese
sentiments that persist from World War II in
countries such as China may be tempered by these
new interactions with Japanese culture.
From this perspective, comics and animation
appear to be innocuous vehicles through which
societal values can be communicated to children.
Indeed, children seem particularly receptive to
the creative mix of visuals and sounds in
animation, which arguably enhances the quality of
communication as well. By targeting children —
the future leaders of the planet, the seeds for
intercultural understanding are sown.
For adults, too, it seems that the cultural and
counter-cultural elements in comics and animation
have resulted in the mobilisation of global
communities through their appeal to transnational
audiences. In 2006, the world witnessed the
mobilisation of Muslim communities following the
publication of cartoon panels depicting the
Prophet Muhammad by a Danish newspaper. During
the same year, the Asia-Europe Foundation brought
together Asian and European comic artists in
Singapore to develop a common publication. These
collective reactions are examples of the
extraordinary power of comics and animation.
From this perspective, it would be foolish for
governments and private organisations interested
in arts and cultural policy not to utilise the
potential of published and animated comics as a
conduit for cultural transmission.
Muslim comic books such as The 99 by Teshkeel
Comics have already made a promising start.
Taking place during the fall of Baghdad in 1258,
and the fall of Granada in 1492, The 99 revolves
around 99 heroes from 99 different countries,
each possessing a “Noor Stone” which bestows
special powers to the 99 different characters.
According to Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, founder and CEO
of the Teshkeel Media Group, “The 99 meshes
history with fiction and teaches global human
values implicit in the 99 attributes of God —
values like generosity, strength, wisdom,
foresight and dozens of others that unfortunately
are not used to describe Islam in the media
today. So not only are 99 values being
communicated, but 99 different ways of conflict resolution to boot.”
In fact, the key to the success of The 99, and in
turn its effectiveness as a medium of cross
cultural exchange, seems to be its infusion of
these Islamic values with a predominantly Western
style of comic drawing and presentation. Muslim
audiences are exposed to Western aesthetics while
Western audiences are provided with an informal
but interesting guide to certain Islamic values.
Comics and animation may also be used in creative
public diplomacy initiatives on a more formal
intergovernmental level. Public diplomacy
initiatives may aim at facilitating cooperation
amongst interested representatives from Islamic
and Western governments for a co-produced series
of structured comics and animation through which
cultural values may be communicated.
Global peace and stability requires, first and
foremost, an understanding and respect for
different cultures and perspectives. Comics and
animation, as mediums for the exchange of
cultural ideas and norms that facilitate
understanding, seem to be fitting formats for
innovative public diplomacy initiatives with this aim.
###
*Michael Chou and Youssef Morshedy both
appreciate and enjoy comics and animation.
Michael is completing a combined medicine and
arts degree at the University of Melbourne.
Youssef is studying journalism, mass
communication and business administration at the
American University in Cairo. They co-wrote this
article as part of Soliya’s intercultural
dialogue program. This article is distributed by
the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can
be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 23
October 2007, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
Youth Views
CGNews-PiH also regularly publishes the work of
student leaders and journalists whose articles
strengthen intercultural understanding and
promote constructive perspectives and dialogue in
their own communities. Student journalists and
writers under the age of 27 are encouraged to
write to Chris Binkley (cbinkley@sfcg.org) for
more information on contributing.
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