Alliance of Civilizations

Background

Shamil IdrissShamil Idriss, a United States national, was Senior A

dviser for Islamic-Western Relations Programs for the international conflict resolution organization, Search for Common Ground (SFCG).  He serves on the Coordinating Committee and the Secretariat of the World Economic Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders, which convenes political, corporate, religious, and academic leaders from predominantly Muslim countries, the United States and western Europe to initiate projects that foster Islamic-Western understanding.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Idriss served as SFCG’s Chief Operating Officer from 2000 to 2004, managing the organization’s global operations and its headquarters in Washington, D.C.  He coordinated some of the first projects under SFCG’s United States-Iran initiative, an effort to improve American-Iranian relations that started with facilitation of the first public visit of Americans to Iran since the 1979 revolution -- the American National Wrestling Team's visit to Tehran in 1999.  From 1999 to 2000, he served as Director of SFCG’s Burundi Program, managing projects of Hutu-Tutsi ethnic cooperation, including the first independent multi-ethnic radio outlet in Burundi, Studio Ijambo.

Mr. Idriss sits on the Boards of the Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution (AICPR), Soliya, and the Arab-West Skills Summit.  He has conducted mediations for the Washington, D.C., Department of Human Rights and Minority Business Development, and has facilitated workshops with prison inmates on alternatives to violence in conflict management.  Mr. Idriss has published articles in German, South African, Arab, and American journals and newspapers.

Alliance of Civilizations

Events of recent years have heightened

the sense of a widening gap and lack of

mutual understanding between Islamic

and Western societies – an environment

that has been exploited and exacerbated

by extremists in all societies.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced th

e launch of “Alliance of Civilizations”. The Allian

ce of Civilizations initiative is intended as a coaliti

on against such forces, as a movement for mutual

respect for religious beliefs and traditions, and as

a reaffirmation of humankind’s increasing interde

pendence in all areas – from the environment to h

ealth, from economic and social development to p

eace and security.

In this edition of World Chronicle, Shamil

Idriss, Deputy Director, Office of the Allia

nce of Civilizations, talks about how to bri

dge divides and overcome prejudice, misco

nceptions, misperceptions, and polarization

which potentially threaten world peace.

Words and Expressions

alliance

coalition; An alliance is a group of countries or political parties that are formally united and working together because they have similar aims. e.g. The two parties were still too much apart to form an alliance.

initiative

An initiative is an important act or statement that is intended to solve a problem.

e.g. There's talk of a new peace initiative.

ample

If there is an ample amount of something, there is enough of it and usually some extra. e.g. There'll be ample opportunity to relax, swim and soak up some sun.

prophecy

A prophecy is a statement in which someone says they strongly believe that a particular thing will happen. e.g. ...Biblical prophecy.

poll

A poll is a survey in which people are asked their opinions about something, usually in order to find out how popular something is or what people intend to do in the future.

e.g. We are doing a weekly poll on the president, and clearly his popularity has declined.

synagogue

A synagogue is a building where Jewish people meet to worship or to study their religion.

e.g. Both Church and Synagogue say we shall meet any loved ones in that next world .

grievance

If you have a grievance about something that has happened or been done, you believe that it was unfair.

e.g. The main grievance of the drivers is the imposition of higher fees for driving licences.

countervailing

A countervailing force, power, or opinion is one which is of equal strength to another one but is its opposite or opposes it.

e.g. Their strategy is expansionist and imperialist, and it is greatest in effect, of course, when there is no countervailing power.

spectrum

A spectrum is a range of a particular type of thing. e.g. Politicians across the political spectrum have denounced the act.

degradation

Degradation is the process of something becoming worse or weaker, or being made worse or weaker. e.g. I feel this signals the degradation of American culture.

dawn

If something is dawning, it is beginning to develop or come into existence.

e.g. Throughout Europe a new railway age, that of the high-speed train, has dawned.

conflate

If you conflate two or more descriptions or ideas, or if they conflate, you combine them in order to produce a single one.

e.g. Unfortunately the public conflated fiction with reality and made her into a saint.

on a par with

If you say that two people or things are on a par with each other, you mean that they are equally good or bad, or equally important. e.g. Parts of Glasgow are on a par with the worst areas of London and Liverpool for burglaries.

intermingle

When people or things intermingle, they mix with each other.

e.g. This allows the two cultures to intermingle without losing their separate identities.

disseminat

propagate; To disseminate information or knowledge means to distribute it so that it reaches many people or organizations. e.g. They disseminated anti-French propaganda.

apex

top; The apex of an organization or system is the highest and most important position in it. e.g. At the apex of the party was its central committee.

retrench

If a person or organization retrenches, they spend less money.

e.g. Shortly afterwards, cuts in defence spending forced the aerospace industry to retrench.

adversary

opponent, enemy; Your adversary is someone you are competing with, or arguing or fighting against. e.g. His political adversaries were creating a certain amount of trouble for him.