JEDDAH, 13 February 2006 — Focused reasoning and intense dialogue that invites a full and courageous examination of the issues that our world is facing is the most important characteristic that helps to bridge East-West divisions. This was the view expressed yesterday by former US Vice President Al Gore during his speech at the 7th Jeddah Economic Forum.
“The 21st century has to be a century of renewal, and our ability to overcome these kinds of cycles of disrespect and violence is the key to making it a century of renewal,” he said, alluding, like many other speakers at the forum, to the recent controversy that erupted over caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Al Gore was speaking during a well-attended session last night at the Hilton Hotel. Gore shared the stage with Malaysia’s former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“I truly believe that in this century the Middle East can once again play a leadership role in brining enlightenment and knowledge and a commitment to tolerance,” Gore said.
Regarding the bad image and treatment facing Saudi nationals and Muslims by America after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, he said that he and his Democratic Party colleagues have opposed illegal detentions of Arabs in the United States.
“Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it’s wrong. That does not represent the feelings of the majority of Americans,” said Gore, adding that there are people even in the current Republican administration that have worked to protect the human and civil rights guaranteed in the US Constitution, and to expose abuses that have occurred following the 9-11 attacks.
He criticized the thoughtless manner in which visas for Arabs are now handled.
“It’s the worst possible thing we could do, to cut off the channels of friendship and mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and America,” he said, pointing out that one of the main objectives of terrorists was to create a wedge in relations. “We must not fall into that trap.”
Concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict, Gore stated clearly that the US will not abandon its commitments to Israel, but tempered this with what he believes is a sincere effort by the US to find a resolution that will bring peace and prosperity to the Palestinian people.
Regarding the blasphemous illustrations that were published in European papers and elsewhere, Gore pointed out that the reaction toward the cartoons by the vast majority of Muslims has been extremely thoughtful and peaceful.
Those few that reacted with violence caused other papers to re-publish the cartoons. As the violent reactions grew, it raised a debate in the US media on whether to publish the cartoons or not. Some in the US have made an arguable case that not publishing the cartoons prevented people in the US from seeing the source of the violence, therefore not getting the full story. The violent reaction actually may have helped to compel newspapers not to blatantly insult, but rather simply to show the source of the outrage.
Gore conceded this point by saying the violent reactions of a handful of Muslims actually helped to propagate the blasphemous images, especially on the Internet. In this regard, “the conflict can propagate itself,” he said. Regarding job development, Gore said that the Kingdom does not need mega-projects to solve unemployment issues; on the contrary, the country needs millions of micro-projects.
For his part, Ibrahim said the problem in the East-West chasm exists due to ignorance and a lack of mutual respect. He said the cartoon controversy destroys bridges of communication between cultures.
He added that the United States has to play a major role in closing the East-West gap.