Difficult questions for Europe and the Muslim world

In the aftermath of the violent reactions to the publishing of the cartoons depicting prophet Mohammed there is some reason to take heart. Many religious and political leaders on both sides spoke up and tried to turn the conflict into a constructive debate. They engaged in a struggle for space in the media and used their best thinking to wrestle the initiative from those who prefer insults, stones and bombs. In a programme on the BBC World Service with Prince Hassan of Jordan as the main guest and the Foreign Minister of Norway also taking part, a message of listening to one another and finding common ground rang clear as a bell.

In any conflict we tend to focus on the wrongs of the other side. However, dialogue and debate depend on our willingness to examine needs and weaknesses on both sides. Let me start with the European mentality and society.

In Europe the divine and spiritual dimension of our lives has faded into the background. Material consumption and freedom to live as we please have taken centre stage. Religious beliefs have been pushed into the private sphere so that there is little space for religious reverence in the public sphere. Although there are exceptions, this is the prevailing trend. Can Europe change direction and rediscover the divine dimension in life? Religious beliefs do not equal fanaticism. This may be obvious in Malta, but not so in most European countries.

I believe the conflict over the cartoons would have looked quite different if Europeans had preserved a deeper respect for what is sacred in life. It would have made us more sensitive to the beliefs of others. The cartoons were offensive to Muslims and should not have been published. I am not suggesting that we let Muslims or anyone else free from criticism of their religion, opinions or lifestyle. That is part and parcel of a free democratic society. But there is a need to distinguish between what is sacred and what is a matter of opinion. It may not always be easy to discover where the dividing line lies, but let us recognise that it exists.

Now I would like to turn to the Muslim world. When extremists use violence and terrorism to further their aims, many Muslims stand up with courage and conviction and say that such actions represent a distortion of Islam. The Muslim majority rejects the violent means of the extremists. Although not everybody in this majority believes in the European model of freedom and democracy, they do not accept religious justification of violence and terror. Many Muslims also call on fellow Muslims to be equally tough on wrongs and injustices in Muslim countries as they were on the cartoons.

Yet, I do not seem to hear Muslims asking and reflecting on a more difficult question: What are the roots of the brutal violence and terror spreading within and from Muslim society and culture? If Muslim leaders repeatedly claim that their religion is one of peace and tolerance, why does this happen? Part of the answer may be found in the social and political conditions of many Muslim countries, and the continuous interference and manipulation by Western powers in the Middle East. However, the analysis has to go deeper than blaming it on outside circumstances.

History shows that simmering anger and frustration may create a slippery slope towards violence. Even if the majority rejects terrorism, many may harbour hidden sympathies and favour ideas that make the distance to terrorism rather short. Those who want radical change feed on this anger and sympathy to justify their extremism. Who will throw light on this in the Muslim world?

In Europe we have had to ask similar questions in the past: How could two world wars be started in a continent with a Christian culture where democratic values were beginning to spread? How could the horror of Nazism be born at the heart of Europe, in a nation rich on culture and philosophy? Or, if we go further back, how could slavery and the slave trade have been accepted for so long? We can also go forward to this present day and ask: How can the Western world stand for democracy and yet overlook so much injustice caused by its own economic policies?

I believe people of European mentality and culture and people of Muslim faith and culture will find common ground once we dare to ask about the darkest aspects and hidden corners of our own societies.