[Mb-civic] Youth Speaks

[Michael Butler]

** SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: YOUTH COLUMN **
CGNews: Youth Views - In its work around the world, Search for Common
Ground has come to recognize the power of youth perspectives. Because the
conflicts in the Middle East and the tensions between the West and the
Muslim world have a tremendous impact on young people, CGNews would like to
present this perspective by young adults.

Bridging the Arab-West Cultural Divide: Forging cultural exchange, media
reform and youth participation in decision-making
Benjamin Quinto and Mohammed Al-Ghanim

A survey conducted by Roper ASW for National Geographic in 2002 revealed
that only 13% of American youth could find Iraq on a map. It's not
surprising that young people in the US know little or nothing about Arab
culture, Middle Eastern philosophy or the religion of Islam. Adding to this
gap, most Arab youth get their understanding of American culture through
the media and entertainment industry, which paints an inaccurate picture of
society in the US today. Something must be done to bridge this chasm, and
young people may have the answer.

The United States and Arab world are deeply connected when you consider the
political and economic influences that come into play with the Arab Gulf
and oil producing states. Were it not for the USA's dependence on crude oil
(the United States being its largest consumer nation), perhaps the
relationship might not be as contentious. Although some countries in the
region do have a stable relationship with the United States, many other
Arab states have had a turbulent one dating back to 1948, with the
declaration of the State of Israel and its unconditional support by the
United States.

For over half a century, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has persisted,
deeply affecting the country and occupied territory, as well as the region,
feeding the animosity that has only grown in that time between the Muslim
and western world. The underlying social issues, which may be common to
both Arabs and those in the western world, are obscured by the level of
misinformation and public apprehension each population has about the other;
these widening misperceptions are perpetuated by the media.

Those most directly affected by the conflicts in the region are women and
children, but particularly youth, who suffer the greatest impact on the
front lines. Decades of conditioning have provided a fertile ground to
capitalize on the despair of young people with little hope for the future,
who can be recruited to fight for a cause that gives them a greater sense
of purpose and value in society-as extremist groups have been successful in
doing. The fundamental question is how do we effectively move a population
from being the unwitting perpetrators of violence to becoming a positive
force of youth-led development and peace-building, when the political
culture does not encourage youth participation in the decision-making
process? The answer is simple: When youth are afforded such opportunities,
the likelihood of them making positive contributions increases
exponentially.

The tragic incidents of September 11th have perhaps been the most
significant turning point for the United States in examining-or having the
chance to examine-its foreign policy, as it relates specifically to the
region. When preliminary reports suspected that Al-Qaeda were the
terrorists, later confirmed through evidence, there was a measurable
increase in the purchase of books on the fundamentals of Islam and, most
importantly, the call for Jihad or a "holy war."

It is not the type of information Americans began to seek, but rather the
fact that now, and unfortunately after such a horrific incident, America
wanted to learn about Arabs and Islam. The events of September 11 also
introduced a new line of thinking: "Islamophobia."  Many Americans continue
to be under the perception that Islam is a religion that evokes hate and
anger, and that this is the claim for Jihad. On the other hand, few Arabs
and Muslims believe that September 11th was inevitable, that it represented
the ideals of their culture, or was congruous in any way with their
political or religious ideology. If anything, those in the Arab region may
have believed that the American people ought to have blamed the foreign
policy of their  government, which continues to support Israel politically
and financially and lately to occupy strategic points in the Arab region.

The fact is that pointing fingers will lead us nowhere. This fear of Islam
and animosity towards America can only be avoided if Americans, Arabs and
Muslims are willing to build bridges between their cultures, and a common
vision for the future. Young people may be closer to possessing the answer
than anyone else. It is through their hope and idealism, their energy and
enthusiasm that we can have the greatest chance of creating peace between
the US and the Arab world.

Consider the successes achieved by programs such as Seeds of Peace
(www.seedsofpeace.org), which for decades has created safe spaces and camps
where small groups of Israelis and Palestinians live in close quarters for
an extended period of time. They share perspectives, concerns, and their
feelings with each other, argue or fight, and ultimately resolve their
differences through a facilitated process. Experiences like these, and
cultural exchanges between the western and Arab world, create a greater
level of respect among young people through dialogue and spaces for
learning.

Pioneering projects today, notably Chat the Planet (www.chattheplanet.com),
through their Bridge to Baghdad and Baghdad 2-way television special
recently on MTV, have created a unique environment in today's mass media
for real, unscripted conversations that transcend borders of culture and
geography. Yet it remains critical that these diverse voices be more
accurately and positively represented in the media at large. With
unprecedented instant and global communication networks, opportunities to
connect abound, and are being exploited by young people. They provide a new
avenue for fresh dialogue and a tool for outreach and organizing.

International forums and summits, as well as organizations like
TakingITGlobal (www.takingitglobal.org), the Global Youth Action Network
(www.youthlink.org), the International Youth Parliament
(http://iyp.oxfam.org), and the International Education and Resource
Network (www.iearn.org), help young people from diverse backgrounds come
together to share ideas and move from conversation to positive action.
Young people should have greater access to such opportunities-imagine the
impact of high level government officials going through a process such as
the one offered by Seeds of Peace-that bridge cultures and find a common
path to ending hatred and violence.

Hundreds of organizations with thousands of members are working at the
grassroots level to build understanding among young people in the region
and across the world. By fostering and expanding these programs, organizing
broader cultural exchange programs and increasing the channels of honest
communication between youth and policy makers, young people today can
become key players in the process of ensuring peace. Our present commitment
lays a pathway to a future of non-violence.

###
Benjamin Quinto is founder and Executive Director of the Global Youth
Action Network, an alliance of thousands of organizations in over 180
countries. He is a 26 year-old US citizen with 8 years of experience
advocating for youth participation, and currently resides in New York City.
He acts as Strategy Coordinator for Chat the Planet TV.

Mohammed Al-Ghanim is a 20 year-old Kuwaiti, studying Political Science at
the Lebanese American University, in Beirut. He is the Arab Regional
Coordinator of the Global Youth Action Network, an advisor to Grantmakers
Without Borders and a member of the Youth Advisory Board of the United
Nations Population Fund.