Dominic Asquith

A view from Cairo: Forging coalitions with the Muslim world

David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, raised some really important questions in a speech he gave last week at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. 

How do you hold fast to your values when at the same time practical politics – actually achieving something, not just preaching – means you have to build coalitions with people who have different belief systems?

He said we need to build consent by showing we are consistent in applying our values, while sharing a commitment to politics and the renunciation of violence.  We must make it clear that argument is our weapon of choice.  If we can assure people of that, we can then debate ideological differences.  Every continent provides examples of how engaging in politics softens extreme views, once a statesman or woman realises that progress requires the building of coalitions and consent.

Political liberties, freedom of speech and a fair judicial system are what opinion polls repeatedly show a majority admires most about the West.   Where doubt creeps into people’s minds is whether the West is sincere, since it appears inconsistent in applying those values. Making progress in applying these values also means building up and working with representatives of civil society. 

I was reminded of this when I sat with our visiting Minister, Mr Rammell, talking to a group of NGO leaders last week. They were calm, rational and committed to that majority view shared around the world and demonstrated in opinion polls.  They  were keen that their space be protected so they could promote those views.

Among their many insights, two particularly struck me.  Firstly, for many people, including students around the country, the language of human rights was less easy to understand than the language of religion.  This got me thinking to another point Mr Miliband made in his speech.  The rising importance of the individual and the increasing modernisation of technology are making people think more deeply about how to accommodate modern lifestyles to the demands of their religious identity.

But secondly, our guests said, when space was made available for civil society organisations to operate, human rights movements were more effective at filling it than religious ones.  

I hope you will read the speech.  Then please let me know what you think about it – what did you like about it, what did you not like?  

Posted at 15:47 28 May 2009 by Dominic Asquith  |  Comments[0]