By Noureddin Abuzant

THE stability and prosperity of the Islamic world should be of great importance to the international community, as it represents 27% of the global population, HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said yesterday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the US-Islamic World Forum at the Doha Sheraton, the Emir said that the American-Islamic dialogue must be directed to finding means to ease tensions, especially as the US had over the last few years either directly intervened or become closely involved with the most complicated developments in the Arab world.

HH the Emir told the delegates that the dialogue on democracy between the two parties needs to be an issue of agreement, not contention.

Both sides had to be willing to listen to the views of the other, seek the truth and recognise the friendship that underpinned their relations.

Qatar was proud to host the forum for the third time, bringing together two sides that had discovered after the September 11, 2001, attack that there were obstacles between them that could not be taken lightly if their relations were to grow and progress.

Distorted impressions and rigid ideas had to be discarded and replaced by a new, daring understanding, the Emir said. Neither side should be too proud to admit any mistakes it had made, nor should it be deterred from working to foster understanding because of the difficulties involved.

“Your meeting this year has to build on previous work and look this time for the keys to changes which the two parties have to use if they want to secure a promising future for both of them,” he said.

A key issue engaging the concern of both sides was democratisation of the Arab world, the Emir noted. On this, there needed to be complete clarity of understanding.

The process of political transformation had begun and must be completed “so that the Muslim peoples, who are the prime persons concerned with reform can be assured that their hopes will not be betrayed ... their wide expectations can no longer be rewarded with some limited cosmetic changes,” he said.

Noting the diversity of opinions about democracy among the people, the Emir said that there were a few who urged the outside world to exert the maximum pressure for democracy and some others who rejected the outside world and democracy itself. However, the enlightened masses realised that they had to make their own way to democracy without refusing contact with those willing to help them along that path.

A second matter of great importance was the security and territorial integrity of the countries of the Islamic world. Helping the affected countries to preserve their unity was vital to regional stability.

In addition to this, there were dozens of other important issues to be discussed between the two sides, including regional conflicts, the transfer of technology, enhancing democracy, free trade, economic reform, upgrading education, the war against terrorism and working for freedom of information.

All these threads served to knit together the Muslim and American people creating a strong fabric of common interests that could not easily be torn, the Emir said.

The importance of the dialogue was also stressed by former US ambassador Martin Indyk, who is manager of the Sabban Centre for Middle East studies who noted that it was not just an exchange of words but must be used to build co-operation in many useful fields, especially in advanced technology.

In this regard, Indyk said that American scientists and specialists came to transform the technology of the Islamic world.

Indyk praised Qatar’s steps in involving women in social and political life, noting that they represent 70% of Qatar University’s students.

Saad al-Dien Ibrahim, the Egyptian-born intellectual, and Sadiq al-Mahdi, the former prime minister of Sudan, highlighted the recent developments in the region, such as elections in Iraq, Palestine and the Lebanese uprising that had overthrown the government of Omar Karami, in addition to demonstrations in Cairo against the renewal of the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

Ibrahim said that the West forgets that two-thirds of the Muslims in the world are living under democratic rule, even if it their democracies fall short of Western standards.

He asked if the Arabs have real democratic forces that offer an alternative to tyrant regimes.

Ibrahim called on the Americans to secure dignity and respect for the people of the region. Otherwise “democracy will be a mirage”, he warned.

Al-Mahdi said that political awareness was the key element in achieving the reforms America desired to see in the Middle East.

However, he was afraid that the US-led war against Iraq and imposition of democracy was a sign of unilateralism rather than an attempt to fight terrorism.

Al-Mahdi said it was important to shift the forum from the phase of promoting awareness of reform and change to a stage of building institutions concerned with instigation of change.

Al-Mahdi paid tribute to the achievements in reform attained by Qatar and turned towards the Emir, addressing him as ‘the Emir of Reform.’ – GT/QNA