Currents along the Bosphorus are notoriously strong, flowing one way on the surface and the opposite way underneath. Yet for centuries the Turkish peoples successfully rode these currents as they navigated the boundary between Europe and Asia, and between the Islamic world and the West; they have prospered as a result. The report on the Alliance of Civilizations rightly stresses that an embrace of differences—in opinion, in culture, in belief, in way of life—has long been a driving force of human progress.During Europe’s Dark Ages, that was how the Iberian peninsula flourished, through the interaction of Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions. Later, the Ottoman empire prospered not only because of its armies, but because it was an empire of ideas, in which Muslim art and technology were enriched by Jewish and Christian contributions.
Some centuries later, our own globalized era is regrettably marked by rising intolerance, extremism and violence. Closer proximity and improved communications have often led not to mutual understanding and friendship but to tension and mutual mistrust. Many people, particularly in the developing world, have come to fear the global village as a cultural onslaught and an economic drain on their way of life. Globalization threatens their values as well as their wallets. (MORE)
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/02/13/embrace_our_differences.php
Please click photo for clarity.
Some centuries later, our own globalized era is regrettably marked by rising intolerance, extremism and violence. Closer proximity and improved communications have often led not to mutual understanding and friendship but to tension and mutual mistrust. Many people, particularly in the developing world, have come to fear the global village as a cultural onslaught and an economic drain on their way of life. Globalization threatens their values as well as their wallets. (MORE)
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/02/13/embrace_our_differences.php
Please click photo for clarity.