Annan Warns Against Anti-Muslim Actions In West

In his speech before the symposium on “World Peace Via Inter-Faith Dialogue”, in the southern German University of Tuebingen, Annan said that the 9/11 attacks – condemned by all – were not a justification for polarizing the West and Islam or for people to behave "as if Islamic and Western values were incompatible”.

"They are not (incompatible), as millions of devout Muslims living here in Germany, and elsewhere in the West, would be the first to tell you. Yet, many of those Muslims now find themselves the objects of suspicion, harassment and discrimination, while in parts of the Islamic world anyone associated with the West or Western values is exposed to hostility and even violence," Annan added.

Annan went on to say that many Western societies that consider themselves modern and civilized, as well as Westerners who see themselves as democratic and liberals have “practiced a great deal of discrimination and intolerance against Muslims.

The U.N. chief further expressed his rejection of generalizing negative typical stereotypes against any religion on the ground that some of followers committed some wrongdoing.

He also said “no certain western categories are entitled to harass Muslims and discriminate against them while on the other hand, claim being the defenders of values of equality, justice, tolerance and human rights”.

In a clear swipe at the U.S., Annan said that international law did not give any state the right to try by force to dictate its own governing system on others and declare itself guardian thereon, even if it enjoyed a democratic regime.

In another hint at Guantanamo detainees, the U.N. head called what he termed “claimers of the values of freedom and equality before the justice system to apply and generalize these values to their enemies and friends alike”.

Globalization Under Fire

In his speech to the symposium, organized by the World Values Corporation – established in 1996 by German Theology and Oreintalism Professor Dr. Hans Kueng – Annan also launched a fierce attack on globalization movement, saying it took a wrong direction away from human ethics and world ethical values, dictated by the United Nations during the last decades.

He slammed the widening gap between the rich and poor, weak and strong “in a way that made it highly difficult to bridge such a gap among societies and even within each society”.

Kueng has establish his corporation as an initiative to stand up to the theory of “Conflict of Civilizations” in 1993 by the U.S. thinker Samuel P. Huntington whose theory anticipated an inevitable conflict between Islamic and Western civilizations.

Kueng’s corporation, upon its foundation, adopted a logo saying: “No peace among nations without peace among religions. No peace among religions without dialogue”.