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International Conference on “Multiculturalism in Asia – Peace and Harmony”
25 August, 2016 - 26 August, 2016
- CRS Intl Center for Buddhist-Muslim Understanding, College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
- Institute Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM)
- Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Thailand
The globalizing age is an age of crisis of identity, while posing the challenge of accepting global diversity, it also raising critical questions concerning what is primary identity and what is the link between religious, national and regional identity. Globalization is marked by increasing xenophobias, ethnoreligious exclusivism, conflicts and wars as an everyday feature challenging the building of multicultural world. This development is placing constraints of basic freedoms which can be subjected to abuse for non-peaceful purposes. Today’s challenge accepting both diversity of peoples and diversity of values as a natural fact and not a threat.
The modern age challenge of multiculturalism is also tied with events such colonial age migrations and wars as cause for creating refugees and the fears of the natives that the migrating refugees will alter and disrupt demographic profiles of different countries and continents. And the search for “moderate” or “real and authentic” profile of a religious group as defined by the powerful majorities. Thereby blurring the line of separation between politics of religion and religion as a natural dimension diverse worldviews which can be accommodated in modern life style.
Formation of the ASEAN community faces endemic problems concerning the priority of religious, national or regional identity and the role of the political actors and religious institutions in the formation of multiculturalism as an antidote to rising religious fundamentalism threatening the culture of tolerance in the region. The recent rise of religious fundamentalisms coupled with nationalisms in the form of religious exclusivism in Southeast Asia is one among many paramount challenges facing the construction of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural community which is ethnically diverse, multilingual and multi-religious.
Contemporary age is an age of clash between fault lines of cultures, languages and religions which are seen being as being incompatible or irreconcilable beliefs by both the secularly- modern and religious nationalists. The worldwide occurrences of intra and interreligious and ethnic conflicts is seen as the failure of the multiculturalism project in Germany and other Western countries. The emergence of religious exclusivism, terrorism and wars resulting in the migration of the vulnerable who have lost hope for future in their own countries has made multiculturalism a global challenge. The world today is facing the challenge of responding and building multiculturalism amidst the rise of politically radical interpretations of religions, ethnic identities, religious fundamentalisms and religious nationalisms.
The 2015 Paris and 2016 Brussels and Nice attacks; the ongoing power conflicts in the Middle East; the challenge of building ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) along with its vision of an integrated socio-cultural community; the fast spread of unchecked information through the social media; the plight of the refugees and migrants from wars along with consumerist oriented globalization is causing communities around the world and groups to recoil into their micro cultural, ethnic and religious identities for self-protection. The pronouncement of the failure of multiculturalism project in removing cultural and racial prejudices and rising xenophobia has important implication for the ASEAN group of nations as they seek to emulate and adopt multicultural identity along with citizenship equality.
The heather to cultural coexistence in Asia often cited as its hallmark is under tremendous pressures of survival amidst the growth and spread unfounded intercultural biases, prejudices rooted in mutual cultural ignorance and misinformation. This development also raises critical concerns about national security and for sustaining peaceful coexistence. This task requires of the ASEAN, Asian and global communities to revisit their cultural resources and come up with a new and creative ideational strategy for building multiculturalism that will enable non-violent coexistence and check the rising cultural, ethnic and religious xenophobia and violent conflicts.
The contemporary demands for social justice and mutual respect demands acceptance of political equality amidst religious and cultural diversity in shared political space without conflict by all sections be they secular or religious groups inspired by a universal set of values as an antidote to those who seek to legitimize a culture of conflicts, clashes and violence as being natural human disposition
The conference will offer an opportunity to the academics, community workers and the youth to delve upon the subject of need to initiate strategic planning and activists to build and foster multiculturalism in ASEAN countries. Especially for the future youth.
Sources: http://www.crs.mahidol.ac.th/english/icbmu2.htm
