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ly to building bridges among an eye-opener to us. It has these places many among The intemational coinmunity

cultures. become a justification for Arab populaces believe the is a loose temi. Among the
stereotyping the Arabs, for official Arab reaction is inade- international community there
Q: So are you encoura- attacking the Arabs and quate. The reaction did not are those who are fair. There
ging your colleagues? Moslems and to create animo- meet people's expectations, are some who know the facts
sity and aggravating tensions. i.e., facing the other side and and do not buy the prevailing
I'm encouraging my countiy- Then of course there is the telling them: "You are - viewpoints in the media about
men, my fellow Arabs, to dig geostrategic package that has ging our rights and our resour- the Arab and Moslem worlds.
up their history and to show it been wrapped into the whole ces." Then certain groups took But at the same time in

to the world and to engage enterprise of war on it in their own hands; they Geneva, I often sense some
positively with the rest of the terrorismlI resorted to uncalculated and kind of bias and prejudice
world on this issue. In is unauthorized-and somet'rnes- about Arab causes and rnisun-
way, the world will know that Remember that the clash of irresponsible acts (9/11); and derstandings aboutArab cultu-
our culture, our religion, our civilizations was created in the they tried to cloak such re-about the good things we
civilization does not promote West. I think what contributed irrespoit,ible deeds with ill- have. I hope that the intema-
hate or violence, but rather to 9/11 was the book The clash conceived ideologies combi- tional community will not
favours tolerance, respect of of civikatiom by Professor ned with fnistration and they look at our region tbrough a
life, respect for the rights of Hiu'itington, whom I happento went to extreme. Thus, by third party's eyes, but will try
others, dialogue, and coexis- have met at my stay at Arab states you have had a to see for itself (visit and
tence. Harvard University Center for weak reaction to the challen- study) in order to appreciate
International Affairs. The ges which led or resulted in a the richness and hospitality of
Q: When the war against theory of The clash of civiliza- popular reaction has taken a our culture.
terrorism started tiom became very popular in violent, unguided and counter-
following 9/11, do you feel the mid 1980s. You know this productive fomi. That is where I hope that Geneva and the
that the Arabs have been doctrine had preceded 9/11 the irnbalance lies. There is no Human Rights Council really
victimized? more than a decade earlier and proper Arab or Muslim strate- will reconsider their views of
more or less in my personal gy towards the West; I do not the Arab and the Muslim
I think that when 9/11 occur- opinion contributed to this say Westem colonialism, but it world, and not look at it
red the whole world was catastrophic event in history. is rather close at least from the through the book by Professor
initially taken by surprise. Of But people do not pay atten- ordingy man's point of view. Huntington or tbrough the pro-

course, the entire world was tion to that. People say 9/11 It is a trag'ic sihiation. The Israeli media. I hope they will
shocked and the majority sym- created the notion of clash of Arab order was very nascent see who we really are, the

patbized with the American civilization. One can safely and fragile when the Cold War generosity of our people, the
people. It was terrible. But as it suggest that it is the other way ended. It could not wither rich culture we represent, and
evolved and a global war on around. away the strategic pressures the just causes we are espou-
terrorism doctrine was pro- that have been applied against sing.
mulgated and implemented Q: Do you see a solution it since Iraq's trag'ic occupation
many things changed. to this clash? of Kuwait in 1990. What we I feel that that there is some
America's tragedy and pain are witnessing is the opening kind of depreciation of the
has been made global. So did First of all, I do not believe in of Pandora's box by the inva- Arab world, and I hope that
the mistakes that accompanied a clash of civilizations per se sion and occupation of Iraq in enlightened people will ques-
the war on terrorism. We did and in pure culhiral terms. I 2003 as King Abdullah n had tions the things they have been
not understand-and we could believe in every huinan endea- wamed against a few months heaig and seek to double
not imagine-that somebody vour there is an aspect of com- prior to that date. This is hut- check them. I also invite them
somewhere would be ready to petition and tbis competition ting the Arab people. So I do to visit Jordan and inpariicular
use this terrible event in order can be positive or negative. I not think there is a clash of Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and

to indict a whole nation and a tbink what we have is aggra- civilizations, but rather a clash the Dead Sea,
whole religion. Nobody, vated political competition on of interests due to competition
expected that someone, espe- a strategic level. We have an -wMch is expected. But tbis
cially in the West, where the encroachment on the Arab- clash of interests has not been
rule of law usually prevails Muslim domain, which was managed properly-neither
and where the principle that not met with the adequate and on the Arab side nor on the
everybody is innocent until comtnensurate reaction from West's side. Multiple geo-stra-
proved otherw'se, hold supre- the official Arab system. I'm tcgjc, historical and cultural
me that people would hastily here criticizing the official factors are intertwined and
jump to indict a whole culture, Arab order; the whole Arab juxtaposed upon each other to
a whole race, a religion or a political systenn did not produce the cutrent malaise on
nation. Unfortunately, what respond appropriately to the the intemational scene and in
we see now is that somebody challenges coining from the the Middle Eastregion specifi-
is using the mistakes of a few Eastern and Western circles in cally.
to penalize the entire Arab terms of encroacbment on
world...to accuse or cali- resources of the Arab World. Q: Do you have a

ze a whole nation, a whole Look at Palestine, Iraq, message for the
religion. This has now become Somalia, Sudan, etc.; in all intemational community?
2 2008 Diva 47

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