Women can play a greater role to boost relations between the Arab world and Europe. This was very evident when eight women from Arab countries recently went to Germany for a program aimed at establishing a network among Arab women and German women with power. The exchange of ideas was a great opportunity to create better relations between the Arab world and the West. In addition the exposure to the experiences of German women in politics, business and society was an incentive for women in the Arab world. The resulting dialogue was a recognition of Arab women as engines for peace and the knowledge gained was of great support to the endeavors of Arab women to contribute to the economic prosperity of their countries. The visit was organized under the auspices of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The group was informed about the empowerment of German women and their struggle against discrimination. The exercise was a fruitful effort to influence opinion and create a better understanding of the situation in the Middle East and the Muslim population in Germany and the West.
The highly informed and eloquent media women and activists from Kuwait, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunis, the UAE and Yemen debated issues concerning the role of women and their participation in society, gender policies, social issues and policies related to business and work environments. There were lessons learnt from the experience of German women in power and there were useful discussions about both sides' major concerns.
The visit included meetings with the German federal foreign minister's office in Berlin, the German Bundestag, and powerful media and women's organizations.
The talks began with the Foreign Ministry's task force for dialogue with the Islamic world. The ministry outlined Germany's efforts to engage and support Arab countries, with special funds allocated for promoting cultural and educational initiatives in order to establish better relations with Arab civil society and to include women and youth who are not exposed to either German or Western culture.
The Foreign Office stressed the importance of inter-cultural dialogue to empower women and support youth in building bridges of peaceful co-existence and economic prosperity. During their meetings the group had the opportunity to raise the issues of the rise of Islamophobia, the hijab, the threat of terrorism and the conditions of Muslim immigrants in German society. The German side voiced its concerns and explained the reasons behind the problems that face Muslim immigrants in Germany, who are mainly of Turkish origin. One major problem stems from the failure of the Muslim immigrants to learn German and this of course has prevented their full integration into German society. The failure has also deprived their children of a good education in German schools and also alienated them from German students and young people. The Muslims tend to live together, in relative isolation from much of German society. As a result, they are viewed with suspicion and the whole situation remains a concern for the government.
As for the hijab, the situation is not the same as it is in France and Britain. However, the chances of women wearing hijab getting jobs are very limited. They are not encouraged because the hijab is viewed as a religious symbol.
The Foreign Office outlined the policies of Angela Merkel's government to improve relations with Muslim immigrants and increase cooperation with mosques and Muslim groups in Germany in order to protect the country from terrorist attacks and confront the rise of Islamophobia. A law has also been passed which requires that German be taught to all immigrants in order to facilitate integration into German society. Further efforts have included a special conference in 2006 which produced a national policy addressing the issues of Muslim immigrants in Germany.
The Kingdom and Germany have increased their efforts to bridge the gap between Europe and the Arab world. Two major events highlight the progress towards strengthening political and cultural contacts between the two worlds. The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, was present on May 6 at a three-day symposium entitled "Historical Contact between Europe and the Arab World." The symposium was organized by the King Faisal Center for Islamic Research and Studies and the German Embassy in Riyadh. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the board of directors of the center, urged both Europeans and Arabs to focus on cultural development, political aspects and economic issues.
Prince Saud also stressed the importance of the 17th GCC-EU ministerial meeting that took place in Riyadh on May 8 at which foreign ministers discussed controversial subjects, including developments in the region and the EU-GCC free trade agreement. The agreement is important because it covers 27 European countries and the six Gulf countries, and is the first in the region.
Studies and research that have been conducted to look into the affairs of the Muslim community revealed that the situation of Muslims in Germany is not as bad as it is in Britain and France. However, Islamophobia is on the rise and the condition of Muslims remains a major concern for the government.
The message was abundantly clear that fear of Islam and Muslims stems from ignorance of Islam. Therefore, there are concerted efforts and cooperation with mosques and Muslim leaders to work toward confronting the rise of Islamophobia and to support the peaceful Muslim immigrants and help them become part of German society. Such initiatives as these can truly clear the misconceptions of both sides. The meetings provided an opportunity for Arab women to explain the position of Muslims toward the West.
Islam is not a violent religion and Muslims are not the enemies of the West. The West needs to understand that the majority of Muslims identify strongly with their religion; this should not be viewed or interpreted as a sign of radicalization. Moreover, women wear the hijab as a way of life and as a religious obligation and not as a religious symbol or a political statement.
The message of the majority of Muslims in the Arab world is that men, women and children condemn suicide bombings and terrorist attacks on civilians. Muslims are offended by the unfair application of the principle of collective guilt on the entire Muslim population.
The eight Arab women also discussed the future of women and children in Palestine under siege. Discussions were conducted with several German women in politics, media and society. It was disappointing to realize that some were unsympathetic to the hardships suffered by Palestinian women and children and supported the boycott by the European Union and the US. They justified the boycott because of the support of Palestinians for Hamas. However, there were others who supported and admired the achievements of Palestinian women and their struggles to provide for their families under the brutal daily hardships of the Israeli occupation. The two young Palestinian journalists in the group were very eloquent and succeeded in portraying an accurate picture of the conditions of Palestinian women and their brave and active role.
The high point of the visit was a trip to Cologne to the headquarters of EMMA magazine where the Middle Eastern women met the prominent feminist, Alice Schwarzer. She welcomed the group and showed great interest and enthusiasm toward Arab culture and women of the Arab world. She spoke of her struggle to fight the exploitation of women in pornographic movies and magazines and her efforts to stop the abuse of portraying women in the media and the cinema as sex symbols. She supported the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab although she was apprehensive of Muslim women using it as a religious symbol to promote a political agenda.
The exchange of views between Arab and German women celebrated their common interests and shared values. It supported their endeavors to eliminate discrimination against women and to raise awareness among women to fight for their rights wherever they are. This is certainly an important step toward building bridges between the West and the Muslim world. Germany is the current president of the G-8 club of industrialized nations and its support for Arab women is important. The interaction of Arab women from different Arab societies is essential for addressing the concerns of Germany and the West toward Arabs and Muslims and to eliminate fears and suspicions on both sides. Let us hope that the German initiative to engage with women of Arab societies and the exchanges with the German women in power could prove to be beneficial for international peace, understanding and global economic prosperity.
By Samar Fatany
© Arab News 2007
