ICTJ in the News

November 18, 2005

UNESCO's National Commission organizes Philosophy and Tolerance seminar

The Daily Star (Lebanon)

By Raed El Rafei

BEIRUT: What role does tolerance play in the search for justice and peace? How is tolerance regarded in the scope of Islam and Christianity?

These were the main questions raised on Thursday at the Philosophy and Tolerance seminar organized by the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO on the International Philosophy Day.

Touching upon sensitive issues such as truth and reconciliation and tolerance between different religions, the lectures presented at the seminar surprisingly avoided discussing the complex case of Lebanon.

Discussing the challenges facing societies "in transition," Dr. Alex Boraine, chairman of the International Center for Transitional Justice, explained in his paper that "his holistic approach to dealing with the past so that the chances of a relatively peaceful present and a decent, more humane future, becomes a greater possibility."

Boraine's paper, which was presented during his absence from the seminar, was presented by Dr. Joshua Anderson, philosophy professor at the American University of Beirut.

For Boraine, the "ghost of the past" makes the search for tolerance and peaceful co-existence more complicated in "countries in transition," which are emerging from one particular order and are unsure of how to face the challenges of the future.

"In societies attempting to resolve conflict there is a clash between remembering and forgetting," he said.

Boraine stressed the importance of "dealing with the past and not dwelling on it," giving examples from countries which underwent conflicts such as Afghanistan, Rwanda, Iraq and South Africa.

In such regions, Boraine suggested the need to "balance accountability with the shoring up of fragile emerging democracies."

Introducing the concept of "transitional justice," Boraine said that there are intense problems in pursuing justice in "countries in transition."

"There is a need to balance two imperatives: on the one hand, there is the need to return to the rule of law and the prosecution of offenders. On the other hand there is a need for rebuilding societies and embarking on the process of reconciliation," he said.

Commenting on Boraine's paper, Anderson said that the concept of hospitality should overcome that of tolerance in established "democratic societies," referring to the recent turbulences involving marginalized immigrants in France.

"Hospitality is more humane than tolerance ... It helps people co-exist with their differences," he said.

On the relation between the Christian faith and tolerance, Archbishop George Khodr related in his paper the change in the concept of tolerance throughout the different periods of Christianity.

Khodr called for Arab countries to allow each religious community "to practice its faith freely," so as to get rid of "complexities" like majority vs. minority or citizen vs. immigrant.

On tolerance in Islam, Dr Mohammad Salim al-Awa, Chairman of Egypt's Association for Culture and Dialogue, discussed through many Koran verses how Islam calls for tolerance.

Awa said that tolerance in Islam did not imply "surrendering to the enemy" nor "accepting injustice."