The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks appear to prove Samuel Hunting-ton's Clash of Civilization thesis -- between different civilizations exist not only variations and confrontations, but also conflicts and competition. But upon reflection, we know that the West has long regarded all non-Western civilizations as being Oriental. This viewpoint overlooks historical reality and the diverse nature of religious civilizations.
This problem has existed for quite some time. The Islamic phenomenon that the West has recognized for a long time is basically the result of labeling. The Sept. 11 tragedy has induced the West to adopt an "enemy versus ourselves" ideology based on the concept of dualism to call on all nations to prepare for a war between civilization and barbarism. Against this backdrop, many Islam-related issues are translated as symbols of terror. The abstraction and reduction of politics and religion are merely aggravating the confrontation between different civilizations.
Take a look at the last century. Without an interactive foundation, clashes caused by the differences in development between nations were deep-rooted and hard to resolve. In this century, with information technology thriving, exchanges and dialogue between religions and cultures will be more important.
With the deepening globalization of capitalism, humanity has discovered that not everything can be generalized by the instrumental rationality of dualism. Instead, a religious renaissance has developed around the world. The old-time narrow mono-
religious views are being replaced by down-to-earth dialogues. The religious renaissance is a global self-examination of the spirit of modernism developed since the Enlightenment.
We should reflect on the fundamental reason for the Sept. 11 attacks -- a lack of religious dialogue. Respect and tolerance are extremely important concepts on which to base religious exchanges and dialogue.
In the last century, we witnessed the deaths of 30 million people in battle. Nearly 170 million were killed because of their political or religious beliefs or their ethnicity. In the 21st century, we do not want to see a repetition of such confrontations. Humanity should make good use of information technology, promote religious and cultural exchanges, respect deviations between religions and cultures, and search for a sincere model for dialogues.
Wei Zeng-min is a researcher at the Museum of World Religions.
TRANSLATED BY JACKIE LIN
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