Address by Irina Bokova Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the presentation of the Collection The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Oxford, 27 March 2017 Dr Farhan Nizami, Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Dr Abdulrahim Ali, Editor of Volume VI of the UNESCO Collection, The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture, Professor Marcia Hermansen, Loyola University, Professor Carole Hillenbrand, St Andrews University, Professor Bruce Lawrence, Duke University, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honour to be with you today. There are many great universities across the world but none quite like Oxford Oxford has created and shared knowledge for centuries, enriching humanity as whole, on the basis of common values Scholarship. Dialogue. Solidarity. DG/2017/029 Original: English
Oxford has always been at the heart of the human spirit and mind a place for exploration a place to remind us of all that which we share the thirst for knowledge the pursuit of ideas for the benefit of all always pushing back the boundaries of ignorance. This mission has never been so important... in a world that is increasingly turbulent and unpredictable in societies of rising diversity and intolerance The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies plays a very special role here -- it has been seven years since my last visit, and it is very moving to return today to share with you some achievements of UNESCO these last years. The Centre is a unique meeting point between Islamic and Western worlds of learning -- I wish to thank Dr Nizami for his leadership, for giving UNESCO the opportunity to showcase one of its flagship initiatives. We meet today to mark the completion of UNESCO s collection on The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture. This Collection is an outstanding academic achievement, bringing together some 150 scholars from across the world, sharing their expertise and their passion for knowledge I am deeply grateful to Dr Abdulrahim Ali, Editor of the Volume VI of the Collection, who is with us today, and to every scholar who contributed. The Collection, I believe, is a unique wellspring of knowledge. But it is also far more than that. It sends a vital message at a time of rising violent extremism at a time of increasing exclusive populism When violent extremists seek to distort religion and spread hatred -- we must respond with more knowledge, with more science, with more culture. This is the meaning of the Collection. DG/2017/029 - Page 2
When violent extremists seek to reduce and manipulate the spirit of Islam -- we must highlight its endless wealth, the rich and different layers of interpretation, we must celebrate the diversity at the heart of Islamic culture. When we hear some say Islam is a religion of violence we must show the mosaic beauty of this faith, the vast range of achievements of the Muslim world, the profound contribution of Islamic culture to the progress of a sole humanity. This goes far beyond religion. Humanity is one family, joined by common roots, shared values, similar aspirations. Islamic culture stands at the heart of this family. This is the message of the Collection. I am deeply concerned by the rise of doctrines based on exclusion and rejection. Migration crises and conflicts are being exploited by some, to stigmatize minorities, to legitimize discrimination. We see a rise in racism, in the stereotyping of religions and cultures with some saying that different peoples cannot live together, that the world would be a better place if it returned to some illusory past when pure cultures lived alone. Today, more than ever, we must counter any movement to isolationism by renewing with the culture of tolerance. We must show how all cultures are intertwined, how all have been enriched by mutual exchange, fashioning complex identities, producing multiples sources of belonging. We must recall and share the facts of history, to highlight the contribution of Islamic culture to all humanity. Each of us is a citizen of a country we are all members of humanity. DG/2017/029 - Page 3
Knowing the different aspects of Islamic culture should be part of the core knowledge of every global citizen. Everybody should know the story of Al Khawarzimi, who invented Algebra Everybody should know Ibn al Haytham, one of the inventors of modern optics, whom we celebrated a few years ago in the framework of the International Year of Light, Everyone should know about Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-razi, an essential figure in the history of medicine Everyone should know of Ibn Khaldoun, one of humanity s greatest philosophers of history Everybody should know the role played by Muslim merchants in the 10 th century, exchanging goods and ideas between China and Africa along the Silk Roads how Muslim scholars transmitted Ancient Greek texts to the European Renaissance. Knowledge of course does not give all answers to the challenge of living together I would say, far from it. But it is an essential antidote to those who exploit ignorance to fuel hatred. This is our message today, the message of UNESCO I know this is the spirit animating the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and, for this, I am deeply grateful. I wish also to express my deep gratitude to the World Islamic Call Society for its support to the Collection, to all UNESCO s work in this field. I know the same spirit inspires the outstanding scholars who have joined us today. I would like to pay tribute to them. Professor Marcia Hermansen. Professor Carole Hillenbrand, author of Volume I on The Foundations of Islam. Professor Bruce Lawrence. DG/2017/029 - Page 4
Thank you for being here. The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture is the last collection of the UNESCO History series. Since 1977, the UNESCO Histories have brought together more than 1,600 scholars from all the regions of the world. These Studies have nurtured a new way of seeing history a new way of writing the history of different regions and peoples, drawing on diversity, to show the values all share, to highlight the common heritage of all societies Because this is the core mission of UNESCO. To strengthen the bonds of humanity against conflict and fragmentation. UNESCO, as you know, is based in Paris -- but it was born in this country in 1945, in London, at the Institute for Civil Engineering. Its very mandate is still fully relevant today. The idea of creating such an organisation emerged as early as 1942. The war was far from over and yet London gathered regular Conferences of Allied Ministers of Education, guided by the idea of education as a force for peace. This is the vision that still animates us. We are never tired of reminding the UNESCO s Constitution, which opens with memorable lines: Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. Prime Minister Clement Atlee had a role in penning these lines. In new times, in a new century, this vision has never rung so true. DG/2017/029 - Page 5
Hard power is not enough for peace we need soft power also we need education, freedom of expression we need intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding Conflicts are changing shape, with culture moving to the frontline. In 2001, we all remember the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, in Afghanistan, ordered by the Taliban. In 2012, we saw violent extremists seize the fabled city of Timbuktu and destroy the city s mausoleums. I remember, when we went in Mali with President François Hollande, in January 2013, that we were standing in front of the destructed mausoleums. I made the promise that UNESCO would re-build these testimonies of a millennial shared culture, and we did. In doing so, we have given back their identities to many people. More recently, we have seen the destruction of the ancient city of Palmyra, attacks on Nimrud, the catastrophe of Aleppo and so many sites in Iraq and Syria. This destruction which is a cultural cleansing -- seeks to divide, to make people believe different cultures have nothing in common and cannot live together. This is why this Collection, launched in the United Kingdom, at OCIS, this afternoon, is so important. Bringing together Muslim and non-muslim scholars from all backgrounds and perspectives, it sends a message of respect and mutual understanding, and I am confident this will contribute to intercultural dialogue, to better knowledge of Islamic culture Our common task now is to share this Collection as widely as possible in classrooms, in libraries, in auditoria This is how we can win the battle of ideas against ignorance and prejudice. DG/2017/029 - Page 6
And this must start, indeed, on the benches of schools, in research centres such as this one In this spirit, I would like to thank you once again, Dr Nizami, as well as each one of you for sharing the great humanist message of dialogue and peace at the heart of this Collection. DG/2017/029 - Page 7