ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

28 ISLAMIC AND CHRISTIAN MIDDLE EAST 6-1994 - Italian Tourist Press Group Congress: M.O. which tourism - Analysis of a geopolitical reality and the role of information Mediterranean and demographic imbalance . The evolution of the demo- graphic situation on the two shores of the Mediterranean follows two different trends: immediately after the Second World War the population on the northern shore of the Mediterranean basin was about twice that of the southern basin, North Africa and the Middle East; today, after 50 years, the proportion has beco- me 1: 1. Demographic development, ac- companied by a widening gap in terms of economic development, exposes the wealthier and older Western population to a "peaceful" invasion by of peoples very distant culturally with different cu- stoms, traditions and traditions, raised in countries that do not separate religion from the state system and where free- dom of religious choice is not allowed to remain personal. It is expected that the trend of the imbalance between the two geographical areas will tend to assume dramatic characteristics in the near fu- ture. The West's temptation would be to raise a wall to protect it from invasion and to give up thinking of a common uni- versal destiny in the name of peace and justice. The demographic increase in the developing world combined with the ra- pidity of communications allows peoples, even the most distant from each other, to weave relationships at all levels of human action. Consequently the opportunities for a profound enrichment of human value is no longer the privilege of a fortunate few, but made available to all in the maximum rapidity. On the other hand, organized individuals and communities often find themselves in serious difficulty in meta- bolizing, so to speak, the rapid changes to which they are exposed. The pheno- menon of migration is transforming Italy and Europe in a broad sense into a mul- ticultural society, where people from dif- ferent languages, religions and cultures live side by side. Islam, in particular, has an increasingly present reality, although in many respects it is still not well known. Therefore, it becomes urgent to develop a society with an identity that allows a new relationship between cultures, and the management of the process of evo- lution and change cannot be left to the improvisation of individuals or the pure search for economic return. It is the responsibility not only of the West that possesses huge economic resources, but of all the governments of the Medi- terranean coast countries, to establish policies coordinated among themselves to promote mutual knowledge, policies that allow the seizing of opportunities offered by the movement of peoples for the purpose of mutual enrichment, to the detriment of some categories that claim cultural closures towards the world around them. Problems of coexistence with equal dignity and problems created by the arrival of immigrants in Europe must be solved by seeking parallel solu- tions also in their countries of origin, first of all the recognition of human rights, with laws that guarantee the same rights