JEDDAH, 3 March 2004 — The need for a dialogue among civilizations and environmental conservation were key themes at the seventh annual convention of the Society for Environment, Architecture and Technology (SEAT) here Thursday night.
Dr. Kamal Daghistani, professor of ENT at King Abdul Aziz University’s College of Medicine, presided over the event. SEAT President Dr. Muhammad H. Maniyar, ENT specialist at Makkah’s Al-Noor Hospital, welcomed Dr. Daghistani and two guest speakers — prominent radio journalist Samar Fatany and Christine Bates of the American School.
“The clash of civilizations has unfortunately become an issue that divides our world today, and we have to be aware of the dangers of such a theory,” Fatany said. “We must not allow its authors and propagators to threaten world peace and global security,” she said in her speech.
There was a need for a sustained dialogue to bridge the gap between cultures created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The aftermath of the attacks revealed that historical sensitivities persist in both West and East.
The media, academics, NGOs and businesses across the world should counter the rhetoric of extremists and mobilize pressure groups to influence world public opinion.
The three Abrahamic religions should rediscover their common values. Religious scholars need to speak out to promote tolerance and curb the preaching of hatred. “We need to embrace our shared values and respect our spiritual beliefs,” she said.
Material progress was the best way to do this. “Eradicate poverty and disease, solve the water shortage problem, protect the environment,” she said.
Dr. Daghistani surprised the audience of professionals with his welcome remarks in Urdu and said languages could be a great binding force in bringing together different cultures. “Language is power as knowledge is power,” he said.
He urged SEAT members not to remain within the confines of their professional society but go beyond it to serve other organizations.
Christine Bates’ speech focused on environmental protection, especially at the grassroots level. “Recycling was the easiest way to minimize your personal impact on the environment and to start making a difference,” she said. Recycling takes less energy than making a new product and also reduces waste in landfills and emissions from burning garbage, she added.
Consumers can also make a difference by voting with their feet — against abuse of animals and for environmentally friendly products, for example. This would also provide a practical education for children, and could go some way toward ensuring a better future for them, she said.
SEAT General Secretary Zahyr Siddiqi reviewed the organization’s seven-year activities.
Sheeba Askari and Dr. Iqbal Musani conducted the proceedings.
