SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    Egypt's PM meets Tokyo governor, witnesses signing of education agreements    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Egypt's Sisi, France's Macron discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts in phone call    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Indian tourist arrivals to Egypt jump 18.8% in H1-2025: ministry data    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



A Kazakh response to terrorism and intolerance
Published in Daily News Egypt on 15 - 07 - 2010

ASTANA: Tolerance and education. Remember these two words. And remember you saw them here first because you will be hearing about them much more in the coming years.
Tolerance of others — particularly of people of different religions and ethnicities – and education of the public in tolerance will become the primary tools to combat terrorism, and ethnic and religious discrimination, especially if proposals put forward last week by Kazakhstan at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest regional security organization, are acted upon.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan delivered the keynote speech at the opening session of a two-day conference on tolerance and inter-religious understanding held in the Kazakh capital. Tolerance, he said, is one of the most important issues in Europe post-World War II.
Nazarbayev called for the creation of an OSCE centre for non-discrimination and tolerance and to appoint a high commissioner for inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance.
Addressing delegates from the 56-member countries of the OSCE, Nazarbayev said that his country has always been “a cradle of tolerance and understanding, focusing on inter-confessional harmony.”
This former Soviet republic in Central Asia is home to 120 different nationalities, ethnicities, religions and sects who have learned to live in peace with each other, something of a rarity in a world where it sometimes seems that discrimination, racial and ethnic tensions are ever increasing.
The Kazakh president warned, however, that ”religion can divide rather than unite” people unless inroads are made to educate them to accept each other and to respect their differences, adding that numerous conflicts had broken out due to intolerance and religious differences.
What makes Kazakhstan stand out among other countries with Muslim majorities as an example in tolerance and inter-ethnic understanding? Four points, according to the country's president.
First, the age old tradition of the Kazakh people to show tolerance and respect to other people and their ethnicities. When Soviet dictator Josef Stalin deported hundreds of thousands of people, many were unceremoniously dumped from cattle trains in Kazakhstan with little clothing and no food in harsh winter conditions. They survived because they were received with open arms by the Kazakhs who shared with them the little they had.
Second, making tolerance a key point of the country's policy. The country's constitution guarantees equality for all nationalities, religions, sects, ethnicities, etc.
Third, a policy of avoiding double standards; in other words, having one set of rules for dealing with one side versus another in a conflict. Here, Nazarbayev was hinting at US policy towards Israel versus the Palestinians.
Finally, being an active supporter of dialogue, as demonstrated by Kazakhstan's efforts to mediate in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a landlocked region in the South Caucasus claimed by both countries.
Many will argue that the world does not need another global bureaucratic entity. But, actually, Nazarbayev's idea of an OSCE centre for non-discrimination and tolerance might just work.
Why? Because of its simplicity. Because it tackles the very basics of the problems facing the world today, such as fear of the “other”.
Tolerance will come about through education. With education, people will stop looking at others as potential threats to their ethnic or religious group if they learn to understand that the ”other” has the same wants, fears
and needs.
“There is a need to unlearn the fear of the other and to ‘unlearn the habit of xenophobia,'” said Jorge Sampaio, the European Union's representative to the OSCE, citing former Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan. He added that people are not naturally hot-wired for intolerance: “They are taught to hate.” And just as they are taught to hate, they can unlearn hatred.
Of course, this is a long-term process but it is also the only way the world will solve its problems of racial, religious and ethnic intolerance. The media of course plays a big role in this process — it can help promote understanding or it can help promote strife. This was the case in Kosovo in 2005 when ethnic tensions flared up when the Albanian-language media played up an incident causing riots and the killing of innocents.
But, said Sampaio, “With patience and strong public diplomacy, we can gain hearts and minds.”
A well-studied public diplomacy campaign must be launched to educate people in conflict areas and prove that myths about the other are simply just myths.
But just as two words — education and tolerance – will help people coexist in peace, there is also a major stumbling block for the organizers of this would-be campaign. How do you prevent the messages of hate and warmongering from being sent out, all the while maintaining freedom of expression and speech?
The answer is education, education and education. Begin driving the message home at an early stage through an aggressive public diplomacy campaign, perhaps organised by a new OSCE centre. A successful public diplomacy campaign must involve the media to help get this message across. After all, Kazakhstan has proven that diversity is an advantage, not a liability.
Claude Salhani is a political analyst specialising in the Middle East, Central Asia and terrorism. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from the author. Another version of this article can be found at www.khaleejtimes.com.


Clic here to read the story from its source.