'Arabs and West should stress similarities, not differences'

Cultural exchange and inter-faith dialogue could alter Western opinion of Islam and bring the East and West closer, Arab and European academics said at a conference in the United Arab Emirates this week.

Recalling the historical influence of Arab and Islamic civilisations on the West, Arab scholars said they were offended by the West labelling the East as the ''Third World .. (which is) insulting and demeaning of other cultures.''

The conference in Dubai from April 5 to 7 was attended by more than 200 academics from 15 European and 22 Arab nations and sought to strengthen Euro-Arab co-operation in the Middle East peace process.

Nimat Ahmad Faoud, professor of philosophy and Egyptian history at the University of Hawaii, said the study of Eastern religions would help the West understand and appreciate the values of other cultures and beliefs.''We (academics) do not want wars and conflicts ... Such co-operation would help replace the destructive nuclear competition adopted by humanity,'' she said.

Dr Ezzidin Ibrahim, cultural advisor to UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, felt the Arab world and the West should stress their similarities, not differences. ''The two cultures should try to act in harmony ... The relationship should be equal rather than one society looking down on the other,'' he said.

Professor Jorgen Nielsen, from the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations in Britain, said many Europeans perceived Islam as the new enemy, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. He said that anti-Islamic views in Europe were based on a one-sided understanding of Arab and Islamic history, which ignored the influence of Islamic culture on the continent. ''Both sides need to explore their separate and common histories by teaching history in Arab and European universities,'' he suggested.

''An equally important move is to place religion on the academic agenda in all parts of the two regions, because religion is the most important factor in shaping culture,'' he added. ''It is necessary to understand how religion works in society,'' he said.

The conference also discussed a proposal to establish a Euro-Arab network -- so that the region could be an active player in the global arena.

According to Professor Samil Fakhlo, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation advisor on information technology and education, the Euro-Arab science and technology information network will link academic and research institutions in the region and help use the accumulated knowledge.

Some Arab officials at the Dubai conference said the Western media was biased in its reporting on the region and shored up stereotypes. They suggested a television station be set up under the umbrella of the Arab League to disseminate Arab opinion and culture abroad.

Other Arab ambassadors said racial and religious prejudices against Arabs were a matter of concern in Europe. They said the early resumption of the Euro-Arab dialogue, which started in 1973 and was suspended later, would be a step forward.

According to a Palestinian representative, there is already a change in European attitudes towards Arabs in the reporting on the crumbling peace process in the Middle East. ''There is a strong feeling among Europeans,'' he said, ''that Israel is not serious in implementing the peace accords and it is solely responsible for the current deadlock.''

Meanwhile, Israel, fearing that its Arab rivals are gaining sympathy in the EU, has appealed to the European Union to stop the Arabs from using a Mediterranean region conference later this month in Malta to press an anti-Israeli agenda.

The April 15-16 meeting in Malta aims to improve co-operation between European, north African and west Asian nations on the Mediterranean.