Politics lies behind rift between west and Muslims

November 15th, 2006 at 14:18 Björn Hallberg

Say goodbye to the “clash of civilizations” myth. This is perhaps the most important UN report in a decade as it cuts right through the idea that has been nurtured not only by the usual Zionist and US suspects but by certain Islamic leaders as well, exposing the deception that is driving foreign policy and the spiral of violence.

Politics - not religion - lies at the root of a growing divide between Muslim and western societies, according to a report presented to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, yesterday.

An international panel of scholars, politicians and religious leaders warned that cultural stereotypes were turning negotiable disputes into “seemingly intractable identity-based conflicts” and that the clash-of-civilisations theory has obscured “the real nature of the predicament the world is facing”.

In their recommendations the 20-strong panel, which included Nobel peace prize winner Desmond Tutu and former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, suggested steps towards defusing the crisis, including an urgent reinvigoration of the Middle East peace process and initiatives aimed at the young.

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