054 - CULTURAL CHANGES AND NEW OPENINGS

ROTARY N° 10 – pages 42-44 – 1/12 – 2014

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The point of view

My name is Giuseppe Samir Eid, partner of RC Milan Southeast. As a Rotarian, I want to make our voice heard so that the political bodies, together the European Parliament, will always be effective promoters of justice, freedom, and peaceful co-existence among the people of the Mediterranean area. The vast majority of Arabs live in extreme poverty because demographic development is not accompanied by adequate economic growth. We need a radical change in the formation of citizens, a problem of culture, in order to make everyone understand that they are equal and that violence is intolerable.

Religion and identity

Religion and civil status of the Mediterranean peoples are inextricably linked to the identity of the person; Arab citizens consider their religious identity as a priority over his political affiliation. Despite the distancing of the main religious authorities, the instigators of disorder and today’s head cutters in the Middle East use some verses of the Koran to justify their actions with a religious imprint. It is essential to ask the Arab world to work on education, on the media, on textbooks in schools and even to invite to this line of education and peace, the imams and preachers who hold in their hands the formidable instrument of sermons in mosques, where it would be appropriate to also proclaim the verses of the Koran that underline God’s will towards religious plurality and commitment to compete for good in God’s mercy. It just so happens that the greatest violence happens on Friday on leaving the mosques. The best response to extremism is to create a united international front that relies on universal standards of freedom of belief and religion as an integral part of the individual’s identity.

Cultural and technological promotion

It is true that Europe and Italy in particular have an interest in a stable Middle East and North Africa, but such an objective is possible through the promotion of technological development, guaranteeing the flow of oil, curbing emigration, creating a climate of trust between populations and achieving the security of agreed and recognised borders. At the political level, it is important that the West, in technological or market exchanges, should also be able to unite or subordinate cultural exchanges with reciprocal criteria, especially for the simple people, the people, to the effective promotion in the country of the values of civil and religious freedom for all without any discrimination and that, in this regard, there should be intense monitoring. Social stability through culture will bring peace and consequently an economic development of the Mediterranean area to the benefit of the actors concerned. Culture is an essential component to improve the synergy between productive factors and decision-making powers, it acts as a bridge between the human resources of a company, especially if it is multinational, operating on two continents or at planetary level.  North Africa and the Middle East represent a market of more than three hundred million inhabitants just a few hours from Italy but which receives little investment attention outside the energy field. It is necessary to develop a strategy to favour the expansion of our medium enterprise towards these markets with a profitable return for the actors in terms of development of the exchange area, of the African society in this case Arab society, and of return on investment.

Immigration

Until the Second World War the regions of the globe were inhabited by people in a given territory, a country, linked by a common denominator: the same culture, religion, belief habits and the like. For example, countries of Arabic language and culture with majority Islamic beliefs, Europe and the West Christians, etc., each one fairly uniform within itself without the impetus of revolutions caused by diversity, as was the case with the Armenians in Turkey. It can be said, for example, that the unifying element of the Arab populations appears to be the religious one, that is to say the common Islamic religion within which some differentiations are inserted. I do not know of populations without a creed, without religion, even atheism is basically a label similar to a religious belief that discriminates against those who believe.

Until recently there was not this range of crossbreeding of cultures that we find today in a given territory. The ease of movement and the free movement of ideas through the internet, television and the media have driven many sections of the population, generally the most educated, to Europe in search of economic improvement and political stability. They bring with them the cultural and sentimental baggage received through education in the family, school and the teaching of their religion.

Today in our cities there are various ethnic groups, each with its own customs and beliefs, each inclined to demand exceptions in the provisions of the law to allow a given category to survive the social life of the country of origin, with the risk of creating tensions or situations of imbalance between the different social components. The immigration of Arabs, Christians and Muslims, has made us aware of the basic identity and values on which our civilization has developed, but to which many of us have become accustomed for some time now; I consider this an example of the wealth that can be generated by globalization: a wealth that can be achieved by offering the immigrant person dignity and the opportunity for human development for proactive integration, in contrast to exclusion. Inclusion, on the other hand, cannot mean moving a little to make room for the other, for any other. It means building with reason a framework of human values, a framework for the common good, and within this framework making room for those who share it, even if of different religion or culture. Without this, there is no true inclusion. This task is eminently political, and politics, if it were to be exempt from it, limiting itself to welcoming without inclusion, would not play its role.

Rotarians united for a better world

The mobility of people has been crossing the planet irreversibly for a few decades, intercultural relations are one of the most acute issues of the moment, and Rotary International is aware of this theme in the “Service for Peace”. Rotary International and its Foundation promote worldwide service campaigns for a better world, are widely publicized, and we all recognize the benefits of our actions. I would like to emphasize the role that each of the more than 34,000 clubs around the world plays in helping others, the quality of life on this planet, and the dialogue between different cultures. The service actions undertaken by the club individually, or jointly with a club in the service recipient territory, are the seed that sprouts the fruits for the benefit of the men and women of the community concerned. The local fruits expected from the actions of individual clubs add value to Rotary’s worldwide service programs. In fact, giving money remains a sterile act if it is not accompanied by a Rotary Heart and Spirit, has a positive impact on the beneficiaries and adds value to the service provided; a first step in turning the light of Rotary toward peace. Every Rotarian who is aware of the tangible benefits expected from a specific service is a driving force for further action by local clubs to promote the image of our Rotary. For example: it is well known that women’s submission and illiteracy hinder the harmonious development of a social core; by implementing the Rotary literacy project in a specific area, it fosters the promotion of women by giving them the tool for access to the world of work, economic and cultural independence, makes them aware of their dignity as the first step to claim equal rights. In this itinerary, women take a leading role to change the prejudices in place and obtain a common ethical charter against injustices due to discrimination and religious fanaticism, leading the way for the economic development of the society in question and social peace. The Rotary Literacy Project is a tool for teaching the main professions in eleven languages, including Arabic and Chinese. In Lombardy, it has been adopted in vocational schools to introduce young people of various nationalities to the world of work. The project is also designed to reach classes of students far from population centres using the Internet or simply DVDs. Another example of Rotary service is the strengthening of international fellowship through Service Service between two Rotary clubs that found they had the same ideal and decided to organize a summer camp by the sea for underprivileged children near Alexandria; many of them have never known the sea and live in rural areas without clean water.  Staying in a healthy environment by teaching hygienic and sanitary methods to prevent diseases has aroused the desire of families to have access to drinking water and basic sanitary facilities, the prevention of infections and diseases through medical check-ups has made the family environment healthier, and the conviviality of the holiday has reduced the gender disparity and misunderstandings due to differences of belief, the first step towards a better social conviviality; it has made the less well-off children happier.

Communication and Inter-religious Dialogue

Towards a spiritual dialogue between two great religions of the Arab world, the Lebanese parliament has established March 25th as a national holiday, the day on which Christians commemorate the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary. Indeed, devotion to the Virgin Mary is widespread among Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Unlike those who want to reduce Islam to a political system, instead of considering religion as a relationship of the person with God, I am convinced, as was Louis Massignon in Cairo, that Islam, understood according to its spiritual tradition, can offer precious resources to be spent and shared to build, together with Christianity and Judaism, the global culture of Peace and Fraternity. We must work to ensure that Muslims are able to grasp the distinction between religion and society, faith and civilization, political Islam and Muslim faith. It was Cardinal Martini himself who encouraged “dialogue” between different cultures and religions, that is, to encourage a dialogue between two people who have something to say to each other. I hope that every communicator, religious or not, Muslim or otherwise, will become tireless peacemaker and strenuous defender of the dignity of the human person and his inalienable rights. In order to prevent inter-religious dialogue from still remaining a commitment reserved for the elites, we should instead find a way to pass this ideal in the formulation of laws. A last and no less important wish is that those in charge of communication at this conference should publish and circulate on Islamic and non-Islamic media, radio, print media, social networks, the good intentions exchanged at a high level, on pain of the futility that these remain only at the top without reaching the people.

 

Giuseppe Samir Eid

 

Free web translation from the original in Italian

The published articles intend to provide the tools for a social inclusion of the migratory flow, shed light on human rights and the condition of life of Christians in the Islamic world from which the author come from. Knowledge of the other, of cultural and religious differences are primary ingredients to create peace in the hearts of men everywhere, a prerequisite for a peaceful coexistence and convinced citizenship in the territory.

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