JEDDAH, 13 February 2006 — Udo Steinbach, director of German-Orient Institute, called for adopting a unified platform to manage the dialogue between the East and West.
In a session at the 7th Jeddah Economic Forum yesterday, Steinbach said that the experience of having 14 million Muslims in Europe “confirms our success in managing the divide.” “We can co-exist by enriching one another,” he added.
He said that the West wants to call the shots and issue mandates, therefore losing its credibility. This, he said, is exactly what happened in Iraq. He addressed the issue of modernization, saying it cannot be directed by religion and culture, but also cannot take place without them.
“People should be left alone to develop their own standards and the West needs to respect the dignity of others and not push them to Western civilization,” said Steinbach.
During his speech Steinbach highlighted the historical journey of the Islamic World since the 18th Century, indicating that it was full of reactions to Western actions. He stressed the West wants to export its culture to others and has become an imperialistic cultural force in the world. Steinbach said that the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks have been a failure since 1990, calling the process a “talking phenomenon,” which allows Israel to continue to encroach upon and control Palestinian lands while the West stands idly by.
He also said he considers the war in Iraq a process of reprimanding the Iraqi people for what its regime had done. Steinbach confirmed that the world faces a challenge in modernization without losing identity.