Steven Rockefeller speech concerning Prince El Hassan bin Talal

HeA MUSLIM CENTRIST PLATFORM FOR DEMOCRACY
IN THE ARAB WORLD
Remarks by Steven C. Rockefeller, Chair of The Rockefeller Brothers Fund

January 28, 2004 at the New School University in New York


Your Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, President Bob Kerrey, Professor Mustapha Tlili, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening. First of all, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Prince El Hassan for accepting the invitation to share with us his courageous vision of "A Muslim Centrist Platform for Democracy in the Arab World." Prince El Hassan's branch of the Hashemite family is directly descended from the prophet Muhammed, and he occupies a unique place as a spiritual, social, and political leader in the 42nd generation. Your Royal Highness, your participation in this evening's dialogue provides all of us with a rare opportunity to deepen our understanding of the great spiritual tradition of Islam, the contemporary situation in the Arab world, and promising paths to democratic social change, human development, and peace in the Middle East and worldwide.

Prince El Hassan's address has been made possible by a special initiative of the World Policy Institute at the New School University involving dialogues among representatives from the Islamic world, the U.S., and the West. I commend Professor Mustapha Tlili for his leadership in founding and directing these dialogues which began with a very productive meeting in Granada, Spain in 2002. I would also like to thank President Kerrey for the guidance and support he has provided this initiative.

The RBF became a partner in support of Professor Tlili's dialogues project as a result of the Fund's search for ways to respond meaningfully to the challenges that emerged from the events of 9/11. The RBF response to 9/11 has involved support for relief programs and recovery projects in New York City and also several strategic initiatives that have now been integrated into the Fund's new Peace and Security program. For example, the Fund is actively promoting a broad public debate on the U.S. role in the world and on the values and principles that should guide it, and the RBF is also supporting efforts to contribute to the improvement of communication and understanding between Muslim and Western societies.

The Carnegie Corporation and the MacArthur Foundation have joined with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in supporting Professor Tlili's dialogues. If promising initiatives designed to promote mutual understanding are to be sustained and fully successful, they must be supported by institutions and governments in the Muslim world as well as the West. All of us have both an opportunity and a responsibility to build strong partnerships in this undertaking.

As the world enters a [global] phase in the development of civilization under the impact of technological and economic forces, the peoples and nations of the world have a choice. Under the influence of ancient prejudice, ignorance and narrow self-interest, we can engage in a self-destructive clash of cultures and religions, or recognizing that we share a common humanity and planetary home, we can cooperate and support each other in building an equitable, sustainable, and peaceful global society that respects cultural diversity and accepts pluralism. There is no greater social and spiritual challenge today than the pursuit of the latter goal in our local communities and globally. Tonight's dialogue on the future of the Arab world and on building better relations between the U.S. and the Islamic world is of central importance to this undertaking.