Dialogue among civilizations: contexts and perspectives.

• Author: Khatami, Seyed Mohammad
• Position: Essay

Although dialogue has been a human idea since ancient times, "dialogue among civilizations" became a pervasive and inclusive theory and emerged as a symbolic asset due to its proper and timely presentation. Even the world's most notorious terrorist attacks of 9/11, which took place the same year which had been designated as the Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations and which caused the discourse of violence and war to overshadow the discourse of peace and compromise, did not stop the world from pursuing the dialogue of cultures in various practical fields. When the existing paradigm is one of war, domination and violence, the world needs to hear the voice of peace, dialogue and compromise. The widespread acceptance of the proposal to designate 2001 as the Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations by the United Nations General Assembly was of high importance. The fact that the proposal was accepted by consensus indicated that in their depths of conscience, the powers, whether oppressor or oppressed, considered the international political situation worrisome. More importantly, the positive response of public opinion, particularly intellectuals, thinkers, academic and political as well as social circles to this proposal was impressive.

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One can say that dialogue among civilizations has been one of the few initiatives able to create such a considerable, if not the greatest, wave during the past decade. This includes the formation of dialogue institutions, the writing of books and theses in this field, the establishment of academic chairs, and the holding of numerous international conferences in the West and the East, in the Muslim and Christian worlds. The fact that all governments approved this proposal and, more importantly, that the scientific, human rights, academic, social and political societies paid attention to it was outstanding. However, upon closer inspection, it is not so surprising why certain remarks are sometimes heard and sometimes not. Due to public concerns, the world responded to that calling at that particular time when it was first presented. That is why dialogue among civilizations became widespread--the time was ripe for raising this issue. Despite all problems, today dialogue among civilizations is still a prominent issue and continues to exist. Though the spread and promotion of the idea seems to have decreased, it is still of importance and appealing in the depths of man's thought and history, and I...