EDUCATING ABOUT PREJUDICE

Autor: Sanja Drnovšek Seferović

Objavljeno: 11. Feb 2009. 18:02:03

Something that is particularly current and socially dangerous is the development of a theory about the conflict of civilizations, a thesis that should replace the world division that was overcome during the Cold War, into communist and capitalist countries. The goal and motivation of these kinds of theories is the intensification of prejudices among the nations, races and religions which originate foremost as a result of ignorance and without a wish to learn about different cultures, as a justification for the economic, territorial and political pretensions and conflicts between the countries and nations in the present age.
Samuel Huntington, in his book Clash of Civilizations , states:
“In the post-Cold War world, the most important distinctions among peoples are not ideological, political or economic. They are cultural. Peoples and nations are attempting to answer the most basic question humans can face: Who are we? … People use politics not just to advance their interests, but also to define their identity. We know who we are only when we know who we are not and often only when we know whom we are against… Western universalistic pretensions come into conflict with other civilizations, most seriously with Islam and China…”

Huntington is one of the leading professors at the respected Harvard University who is not alone in these kinds of deliberations, writings and behaviors. This imposed thesis was best noted by Smail Balić and he called it “the imaginary ‘conflict of civilizations’, which gives Islam the characteristic of a tyrannical religion and which replaces communism as yesterday’s number 1 enemy.”

In Europe and the United States of America there are forces of thought, which opposed this kind of a future assessment, more precisely said, this type of design of the future opposing aspirations of globalization and internationalization, which connect people and different cultures. According to Balić “there should not be divisions among nations based on racial, religious or ideological affiliation. Precisely this kind of endeavor reflects equality, pluralism and tolerance of Islam.”

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