BEIRUT/BRUSSELS: While watching media coverage of controversial issues and bloody conflicts taking place between the West and the Arab/Muslim world, one may think that two kinds of human beings exist on the globe.
On one side, people might seem to be lovers of life, peace and prosperity. On the other hand, people might seem to cultivate a taste for death, martyrdom and violence.
To what extent is this assertion simplistic? A few months ago, people in war-torn Iraq, the most striking example of violence of our time, took to the streets to cheer – not for their Sunni, Shiite or Kurd leaders but for their young Mesopotamian singer Chaza Hassoun, who won the Arabic version of Star Academy (an international reality television show). In this simple yet interesting act, Iraqis declared their love for life and their ability to find common ground despite the divisions.
In fact, people all around the world generally share common values. As the American journalist Linda Ellerbee states: People are pretty much alike. It s only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities. Indeed, we all care for our line of descent by protecting our children; we all desire to be treated with dignity and to have a prosperous life; and, unfortunately, we all tend to do harm to others for a variety of reasons.
Furthermore, globalization has brought our world closer. Although increased interaction can be featured negatively, as in the case of hatred-oriented websites such as anti-Arab or anti-Zionist sites, the similarities between people also becomes clearer. For example, looking at online blogs and shared spaces, it becomes obvious that young people around the world care about their education, hope to find suitable jobs and have in one way or another the same aspirations vis-à-vis their future. Even the youth who surf hate-based websites or join, for instance, a pro-Hezbollah group (a party viewed as terrorist in most Western countries) on the shared website Facebook also share interests in music and books and similar social activities with other young people.
In that regard, it becomes a bit puzzling to talk about people with conflicting cultures, religions or civilizations .
Conflicts in the world arise from our tendency to react to harm the other when one s survival is threatened or when one s dignity is not recognized. We, as young people, have two options before us: we can either continue on the path of our ancestors, developing ways to fight each other and becoming the puppets or hostages of political movements; or we can use the opportunities we have and choose the great challenge of experiencing a brave new world .
Whatever our culture is, lasting and anchored habits of dialogue learnt at a young age have a greater chance of becoming life-long habits. In this regard, many of us have in mind working-class neighborhoods in European, North African or American states, where children from various backgrounds live, play and grow together in peaceful settings. However, it is time for all youth to be empowered to learn about and interact with other societies.
How can this be achieved? The answer lies in focusing on human value and all its facets from childhood onward, in understanding thoroughly what it means to be human. By doing so, we begin to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, of the cultural, social, and religious dimensions determining the way we define our identity, thus leading us in turn to understand the other and see how similar we are in our shared humanity.
In situations of conflict, youth are under the influence of divisive ideas and extreme opinions. In situations of poverty, young people often do not have access to information about, or exchange with, foreign cultures. They might view Western or Arab societies as enemies since the other values and religious symbols are not always compatible with their way of life.
In these situations, youth often become an easy target for propaganda and can be manipulated by all types of movements and radicalism. That s why young people must be provided with the proper tools enabling them to gain genuine keys of understanding of each other. Acquiring such tools can be achieved through education that is truly centered on human values and human rights. This education would be inclusive, open to people of different cultures and religions, leading to an enlightened generation of autonomous people capable of critical analysis, understanding and pro-active initiatives.
At a more practical level, international youth conferences and reverse role workshops could have a strong impact. Such opportunities for cultural and educational exchange on a neutral basis should be developed, so that young people can have a free space to rid themselves of preconceived notions and stereotypes and develop their own methods of understanding. Step by step and far away from all dogmatism, this might well be the only lasting means to develop free spirits among youth from both sides, as they search for the truth with a small t .
Isabelle Maras is a French citizen and PhD student in European security studies at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Studies. She holds two Masters in European Politics and Political Science from the Free University in Brussels. Sarah Al Borgi is a Lebanese citizen and an economics student at the American University of Beirut. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
