ut the issue that got the most attention at the event turned out to be not health but religious and ethnic conflicts around the world. The opening plenary sessions on the first two days were devoted to it.
During the day, participants split into four simultaneous discussion groups where the focus issues were discussed in detail. On the panel, 'Confronting Difference: Muslim Communities in Western Societies,' Farooq Kathwari, CEO, Ethan Allen Inc, who is also chairman of Refugees International, spoke about his concerns for young Muslims in the present environment of suspicion.
He remembered his time when, a young student leader in Kashmir, an intelligence fellow used to follow him around -– so much that his mother wanted to offer the man a cup of tea for his hard work. "But our children are not used to it -– to be questioned of their loyalty."
Both Musharraf and Queen Rania, speaking in different sessions, underscored the need for inter-faith dialogue and resolution of the Israel-Palestine issue.
One of the reasons extremist ideology was gaining resonance, the queen said, was that people do not realise that there is diversity in the Muslim world. "Living in the same neighborhood is not multiculturalism," she said. The Israel-Palestinian issue is at the heart of every Arab, she said. "It will not disappear overnight, but it is critical for us to find a solution." People have to see justice and an honest engagement so they could be attracted back into the fold of the moderates, she said.
The Pakistani leader also said this dispute lies at the core of Iraq and other conflicts involving the Islamic world. "Let's go to the solution of the Palestinian issue; other things will themselves fall in line."
Calling Pope Benedict's comments on Islam unwarranted, he said it was the time to build bridges, not burn them. "I don't think anyone has the right to hurt anybody's feeling, least of all, at this time when there is so much tension because of that."
When asked about the Pope's remarks, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said, "I think that the Pope probably wishes he hadn't said what he said and has tried to apologise." It shows how very difficult it is to say sorry, he added.
When asked if he saw hope despite an evident clash of civilisations, the Archbishop, a Nobel Llaureate, invoked Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr to point at the goodness of humanity. He got a standing ovation when he said that everyone is made for goodness, transcendence, peace, and for embracing each other.
Image: From right moderator Fareed Zakaria, Editor, Newsweek International, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
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