(Office of Her Majesty, Press
Department - Tallberg) Speaking at the Tallberg Forum in Sweden, Thursday, Her
Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah challenged the Western perceptions of Arab
women, Islam and conflicts in the region, and warned that "failure to appreciate
the other side's point of view is a greater barrier to communication than
speaking different languages".
The theme of this year's forum is "How on earth can we live together? Learn
to live to learn". Much of the discussions of the three-day forum will revolve
around the dangers of climate change, the concept of which Queen Rania expanded
on by calling for a "new global warming" towards cultures and communities.
"We need to take a vocal stand against stereotyping and prejudice – and
melt the mental barriers that distinguish 'us' from 'them'," she asserted.
Expressing fear that many in the West equate Islam with acts of violence,
Queen Rania emphasized that Islam is actually "a moral compass that emphasizes
mercy, equality, charity, tolerance, and peace… Islam is under siege distorted
by violent extremists from within and demonized from without".
Her Majesty also emphasized that most of the conflict in the Middle East is
rooted in "the injustice, occupation, desperation, and decades of sadness and
suffering -- most notably in Palestine where, after 50 years, the peace process
is stumbling, while the humanitarian crisis is accelerating".
Challenging the western view of Arab women as passive and oppressed, Queen
Rania highlighted Arab women as "taking an ever-greater role in society… and, at
the same time, because Arab culture venerates the family, a woman’s predominant
role in the household is seen as a source of strength".
Speaking on a very personal note, the Queen said, "For me, as a Muslim and
a mother of four, the schism that worries me most is the growing gulf of
perception and trust between the Muslim world and the West. The only people who
benefit from our disunity are the extremists – the very forces who threaten the
hopes we share for a better tomorrow".
Her Majesty said, "All of us need to work harder to see one another's point
of view – to appreciate how our varied perspectives color our sense of reality".
Delivering the keynote address to an audience of over 1,000 attendees,
including Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria; Princess Deema bint Turki bin Abdul
Aziz Al Soud; Bo Ekman, Chairman of the Tallberg Foundation; and other high
profile European personalities, Queen Rania warned, "the longer we wait to build
genuine multicultural understanding, the more human nature will be degraded by
ignorance, suspicion, and fear".
Referring to the famous Earthrise photo captured from Apollo 8, in 1968,
Queen Rania noted how we are all part of a "single global commons we were
privileged to share".
"I wish we could say that iconic photo was enough to inspire world peace.
Regrettably, almost four decades later, the dream of peace has yet to be
reached," she said, as she urged the audience to look at the different
perspectives of the world today and realize that what the world holds in common,
far exceeds those differences.
Many of Queen Rania's programs have focused on appreciating the various
perspectives in the world, finding common ground and bridging the cultural
divide between East and West because, as she believes, "We are one human family,
and co-inhabitants of one world".
"We have no greater responsibility…. we have no greater moral duty" than to
safeguard the earth's future, she reminded the audience. "You are planting the
seeds of cross-cultural common ground – from which the Tallberg spirit can take
root around the world. My challenge to you, in your time together, and once you
take flight on the wind, is to help the values you celebrate here to flourish
wherever you go," said the Queen.