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17 June 2002
Proponents of the US-led war against terrorism have been careful to
point out that Islam is not their enemy.
But because the principal target of the campaign is Osama bin Laden,
who is said to have masterminded the September 11, 2001 attacks, terrorism
has mistakenly become synonymous with the Islamic faith. Islam has become
the subject of hate campaigns and Muslim communities in different parts of
the world have experienced varying degrees of harassment, such as police
raids.
The repercussions of Sept. 11 hew closely to those of the Cold War,
where the Soviet Union was the perceived evil to the western world. In the
new war, Muslim civilization has taken on the role of the villain.
Political kibitzers insinuate that with the collapse of the Soviet Union,
the US must find a new enemy to legitimize its claim to power. The
anti-terrorism campaign, for example, legitimizes the US Government's
military involvement in countries it believes are infested with
terrorists. The new schism brings to mind Samuel Huntington's thesis,
which he posited almost ten years ago: the clash of civilizations.
Social scientists have expressed their concern about civilizational
conflict resulting in the West antagonizing and alienating further the
Third World countries, particularly Islamic countries. University of
Innsbruck Professor Hans Koechler, in his lecture in UP recently, said
"Regrettably, the doctrine of civilizational clashes as the basic factor
of international relations in the post-Cold War period revives and
reinforces the former colonialist pattern of Western supremacy, including
cultural superiority, over the rest of the world."
As the threats of civilizational conflict vis-a-vis global terrorism seem to loom larger and clearer by the day, what will emerge as a
counter-violence configuration is highly anticipated. Not a few social
scientists and political analysts have forwarded a number of approaches.
For its part, the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), during its council meeting
on June 14, 2002, presented a forum on Peace and Tolerance through
Inter-Civilizational dialogue> Discussants were Dr. Carolina
Hernandez, professor at the UP Diliman Department of Political Science;
Dr. Edilberto de Jesus, president of the Far Eastern University; and Datu
Atty. Michael Mastura, former congressman of Mindano.
President Nemenzo, who was invited to make some remarks on the theme of
the discussion, said dialogue has become "a fashionable mode of conflict
resolution. It resembles peace talks between warring factions."
Participants in a dialogue, however, Nemenzo added, are not necessarily at
war. As a matter of fact, he said, the participants may hold the same
interests that they are fighting for.
De Jesus, Hernandez and Mastura were one in saying that peace and
tolerance between and among nation-states are attainable through dialogue.
But, they added, dialogue may be possible more on the intercultural
exchange and not on the inter-civilizational level. Hernandez said the key
to solving conflicts is cultural accommodation.
Mastura explained that civilization encompasses political, economic and
legal systems, while culture embraces philosophy, religion and the arts.
He said it is easier for nation-states to discuss their cultural
peculiarities and respect each other's difference. but when it comes to
political assumptions underlying certain policies being implemented by
nation-states, tolerance may be difficult to achieve. Needless to say, it
is in the political assumptions where vested interests lie. Mastura cited
as an example the Philippine government's decision to shift its allegiance
from Europe to America when the latter began to accumulate power and
influence.
In the case of the September 11 attacks, Nemenzo said these could not
have had the nature and objectives of a religious crusade. He said that if
the attacks had anything to do with religion, the terrorists could have
razed the Vatican to the ground. That bin Laden chose to assault the
world's political and economic supercop, Nemenzo said, readily revealed
the terrorist's real motive: to claim power.
Cognizant of the ill effects of civilizational conflict, the UPAA
resolved to support the UP administration in enriching its research
activities that are focused on civilizational studies. Research findings
will be disseminated tot he public through symposia and conferences.
Reprinted from the UP
Newsletter, 06/17/02 Go Back to
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