JEDDAH, 22 February 2005 — Raising awareness and generating support through dialogue followed by action is the key to improve relations between Islam and West. This was emphasized by one of the speakers in the “Islamic Western relations: From dialogue to action” session at the third day of the Jeddah Economic Forum yesterday.

Shamil Idriss, senior adviser of World Economic Forum and Search of Economic Ground, emphasized that dialogue along with action was needed to foster better ties at the session that was moderated by Amr Khashoggi, chairman of AMEKST Group.

Idriss is also a senior adviser of West-Islamic World Dialogue Initiative, which is part of the World Economic Forum.

The World Economic Forum facilitates the Council of 100 Leaders: West-Islamic Dialogue (C-100) as a multi-stakeholder and global community that promotes understanding and cooperation between Western countries with predominantly Muslim population.

It convenes senior political, religious, business, media and opinion leaders in an effort to better understand their differences and act on their commonalities.

The council was formally launched at the Forum’s annual meeting in Davos in January 2004 and is chaired by Lord Carey of Clifton, Former Archbishop of Canterbury, UK, and Prince Turki Al-Faisal, ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom. The C-100 envisions a state of Islamic-Western relations in which differences are discussed openly, shared interests are advanced cooperatively, distinct cultures and perspectives are better understood and appreciated, and an over-riding respect for shared humanity and dignity is reflected in all interactions, even as they deal with the most continuous differences.

After the session, Idriss said: “We want to raise awareness and generate support and put every effort to improve Islam-West relations.” However, Idriss thinks that this dialogue has to pass the conversation boundaries into the realms of action. “The Islam-West relations has got stuck in the talk or dialogue phase. This dialogue is necessary but insufficient on its own,” he said, adding “To shift attitudes and behavior, you need to understand the differences but act on your own common analysis and work on the mutual concerns.”

On the barriers of this communication, he said: “There is this common fear, fear of people who are not confident in their identity and this reflects in their actions. Many people fear that they don’t have control, and are also unsure where the world is leading them and they don’t seem to be prepared for it.”

We need to activate this communication and take it to more solid levels, he said. “This communication should not depend on governments alone. Individuals must play an actual role to bring mutual interests and cooperation together — such as academics, judges, intellectuals, religious figures, and all individuals who can play a positive role.”

Mutual understanding is vital, Idriss stressed. “We have no choice and we are no longer independent. All the nations are affected by one another and we are becoming more aware of this issue.”

On the tension between Islamic countries and the West after 9/11, Idriss said, “I understand the frustration but I don’t agree with the diagnosis. Muslims should learn how to access the American culture and to communicate with the Americans and the West as a whole in ways that reaches out to them. Muslims should build constructive vision for the future with fresh thinking of what we can do together. Americans are quite open and the US is a religion oriented country, so they would be interested about other religions.”

Idriss, an American Muslim of Syrian descent, is a first generation American. Idriss graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in economics and philosophy.