Building
Bridges With America
Dr. Khaled Batarfi
Last week
I was invited to join the Saudi American
Interactive Dialogue in Jeddah, titled
“Fostering Community: Building Bridges of
Understanding and Cooperation.” Sixty Americans
and Saudis sat with each other on ten round
tables, three from each side on every table, with
one chosen as a moderator and presenter. We
discussed two main issues: “The role of religion
and social responsibility in community
development,” and “The creating of a
responsible media.” The conference was sponsored
by Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and key
business entities.
We
brainstormed and debated the issues of the day,
and came out with analyses, conclusions and
recommendations.
At the
start of two sessions, morning and afternoon, we
listened to two keynote speakers, Jamal Khashoggi,
media adviser to Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi
ambassador in London, and James Oberwetter, US
ambassador in Saudi Arabia. Their perspectives
were insightful, positive and inspiring. I would
have reported their main points, but they were off
record.
Most
Americans were visiting Saudi Arabia for the first
time. They came from all walks of life, but mostly
from academia and intelligentsia. The ones I
talked to were impressed, especially with our
female organizers, such as Ranya Bajsair and
participants like Maha Fetehi. They expected
official welcome and hospitality, but they
weren’t prepared for the warm grass-roots
reception. They found that Saudis might have
issues with certain US policies, but they are not
anti-American, certainly not against those
Americans who do not support these policies, like
many in the conference.
|
..They
found that Saudis might have issues with
certain US policies, but they are
not anti-American.. |
The
delegates went around, talked to ordinary people,
and debated with male and female professors,
intellectuals, business people, diplomats,
reporters, and writers. There were no taboos and
they and their Saudi counterparts weren’t shy of
raising questions that touched on the very core of
our political, social and cultural differences.
Both sides were open-minded. Most were not
defensive or aggressive. They just wanted to know,
and they deserved what they got — honest, if not
always agreeable, answers.
The
atmosphere was positive and constructive. We
talked for hours, from morning to evening. Many
felt we needed more than a day to discuss more
issues. We hardly scratched the surface. As one
delegate put it, we were just warming up for the
real match.
On the
role of religion in community development, I told
my American counterparts that they don’t have a
problem with the real Islam. The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) married Christian and Jewish
wives. His friendly neighbor was a Jew. They
visited and cared for one another.
In our
prayers we pray for our Prophet, as well as Moses
and Jesus, peace be upon them. On the day of
Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, the first month
in the Islamic calendar, we fast celebrating
Prophet Moses’ (peace be upon him) safe escape
from Egypt. These stories as well as other
Christian and Jewish legends are narrated in the
Qur’an. The first and largest chapter is titled
“Al-Baqara” (The Cow) after the Jewish holy
cow, and another chapter is titled Yousef
(Joseph) after a Jewish prophet. Mariam is the
title of a chapter devoted to the story of Virgin
Mary and the birth of Jesus.
In fact,
we cannot be Muslims without believing in all holy
books and messengers of Allah, including Abraham,
Moses, Jesus and Muhammad; and their books, the
Torah, Bible as well as Qur’an, I told them.
The real
problem has always been with the politicizing and
misinterpretation of holy texts, and the use of
religion to rally the troops and achieve earthly
goals and interests. This is true of all
religions. The Crusaders were driven to the Holy
Land to kill and conquer in the name of God. That
is what’s happening today in the Muslim world.
|
..Although
the relationship between our two peoples
remains strong, Saudis and Americans
are confronted
daily by misperceptions on both sides.. |
My
American partners were surprised. I wasn’t.
Intellectuals on both sides failed miserably
during better times to educate themselves and the
public about other civilizations.
Whether
out of bias and disregard, as Edward Said claims
in “Orientalism”, or disinterest and laziness,
the result is troubling. Today, people of the
same-origin religions regard each other with
suspicion and apprehension, reaching the level of
hate.
Their
stands are based on mostly misinformation and
ignorance even of basic tenets and principles.
The first
Saudi American Interactive Dialogue (SAID) was
created in the wake of Sept. 11 to “gain
perspective on how we, as business leaders,
academics, government officials, journalists and
students, can foster greater understanding between
Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Although
the relationship between our two peoples remains
strong, Saudis and Americans are confronted daily
by misperceptions on both sides. SAID aims to
dispel such misperceptions in an open and
transparent dialogue and by working together to
build greater understanding.”
This
conference was a good one small, but important
step, toward building that elusive bridge.
Reprinted
with permission from Arab
News.
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