IARC Board Member Suhail Khan attends the Third United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Istanbul in July

Thursday, August 27th, 2009 Blog / Commentary by IARC

author: Suhail Khan, Esq.
IARC Board Member

“No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”
Ronald Reagan

Last month, in my capacity as a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement (www.globalenage.org), I attended the Third United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. The Alliance Forum convenes an important network of world leaders, heads of international organizations, civil society groups, youth, corporations, foundations, and media to forge partnerships to build meaningful interaction between diverse communities and strengthen trust and reconciliation across cultures.  Topics of discussion at this July meeting included President Obama’s speech in Cairo and the Mideast peace process, the implications of the recent elections in Iran, Morocco, and Lebanon, and the role of faith in government and its role in strengthening international security. For more information about the Alliance of Civilizations, please visit www.unaoc.org.

The meeting was a fascinating and real-world discussion of many of the international challenges we face today, and importantly, with people who have the capacity to affect change, ideally for the better.  My focus was to discuss the best ways to expand freedom of religion and protect religious minorities while at the same time enhancing respect for diverse cultures and religious traditions.  In doing so, it’s my contention that an expansion of religious freedom can in fact enhance a given nation’s national security.

For example, China has no doubt moved towards a more liberalized economy and this transformation has led to tremendous development within China.  In a relatively short time in the post-Cold War era, a once largely agrarian society has grown into a military and economic power.  However, China continues to face challenges from within as the country’s growing Christian and indigenous Muslim and Buddhist populations struggle for enhanced religious freedom.  China has taken important steps toward allowing for increased religious expression, and doing so will contribute to a more stable society and “national harmony.”

While many of the attendees at the forum in Istanbul from the Mideast and the United States readily accepted the notion that religious freedom is fundamental to international security, some of the friends from Europe struggled to embrace the concept that faith could be a driver for good and not just conflict.  This comes as no surprise, given Europe’s historical experience with faith and conflict, and the ardent secularism of some European nations such as France and Turkey.

But the fact remains: the majority of the world’s population has a faith-based worldview.  Attempts to resolve conflict without a recognition of the potentially positive role of faith can play in many instances have often proved unsuccessful.  On a recent visit to Israel and Palestine, a friend lamented in describing the Mideast peace process, [secular] “yuppies from Tel Aviv have been negotiating with yuppies from Ramallah, mediated by yuppies from Georgetown.”  Once the secular actors have a potential agreement, not having had a seat at the table on an issue with profound dimensions, the respective religious voices often upset the apple cart.  As we say at IGE, we need to allow the best of faith to defeat the worst of faith.

My greatest take-away from having participated in this meeting is that the United States needs more than ever to engage and provide real-world moral leadership.  Former senator and Vietnam War veteran Chuck Hagel recently remarked, “Great nations engage. Great nations engage because they believe in who they are. Great nations engage because they are strong. Great nations engage because they are secure in their beliefs.”  We need to continue to engage, be the voice for freedom, and in doing so, further the cause for liberty for all, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, or no religion at all.  Military and economic strength are indeed important, but the voice of moral courage is no doubt the greatest power of them all.

(photo:  Pastor Bob Roberts of Northwood Community Church in Dallas and Suhail Khan in Istanbul last month for the third meeting of the Alliance on Civilizations.)