AKSAM- Columnist Engin Guner writes on the OIC-EU meeting in Istanbul and the need to define terrorism. A summary of his column is as follows:
The Sept. 11 attacks brought the concept of ‘clash of civizilations’ first put forth in 1997 by Samuel Huntington to the table for discussion. Meetings based on tolerance and dialogue among religions and cultures have been held before. However, the meeting which ended in Istanbul yesterday was important because it covered a wide range of countries and brought the OIC and EU nations together. This is the first time the East and the West have come together since the declaration of war against terrorism by the US. This helped them to begin a dialogue towards understanding each other. The aim of the meeting was to eradicate misunderstandings, get to know one another better, and search for solutions to problems through dialogue. This was not going to be easy. The beginning of such a process in Turkey is meaningful. Apart from its geographical location, Turkey’s role as a bridge between three continents is enough to demonstrate how important this initiative is. Notwithstanding its shortcomings, predominantly Muslim Turkey sets an example for other Muslim countries. It isn’t easy to abolish all prejudices and animosities stemming from different cultural legacies. In order to eradicate misunderstandings leading to these, one must try to understand and show respect to the cultural identity of the other. That is why dialogue is a must. However it is not always easy to get results. Everyone knows the difficulty of defining terrorism in a way which is acceptable to all. As it uses violence instead of ideas, an effective fight must waged against it. However, no one should forget that terrorism cannot be abolished through force alone. Understanding the reasons which foster terrorism is more important. It should be recalled that terrorism is nourished by poverty, injustice, ignorance, anger and hate. It is not possible to eradicate all these scourges in a very short time. The tolerance shown by the Ottomans for cultural, religious and ethnic diversity is nowhere to be found in many countries today. We have to fight against poverty and ignorance, establish justice in place of revenge, dialogue in place of violence, conciliation instead of clashes, and take mutual confidence building measures.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION