Iman Chairman opens the Cultures of Spain conference in Alhambra complex

Ribal Al-Assad, the Chairman of the Iman Foundation opened the 'The Cultures of Spain Conference: Centuries of Multiculturalism and Inter-faith Dialogue within the Andalusia Region' with a speech in the conference hall of the Carlos V Palace in the Alhambra complex. He spoke about the significance of the history of the Alhambra in the context of the greater need for inter-religious and intercultural dialogue to help strengthen understanding and co-existence.

The conference was organised in partnership with the highly respected Berlin based Institute for Cultural Diplomacy and hosted by the Iman Foundation. It took place on 18, 19, 20 October 2012 in Granada, Cordoba and Seville respectively.

Other speakers at the Carlos V Palace included Mark Donfried, Executive Director and Founder of the ICD, Dr. Goetz Kaufmann, Professor of Cultural Diplomacy, John F. Kennedy School for North American Studies, Free University Berlin, who did an excellent lecture and discussion on 'The Long-Durée Entangelment between Cultural Diplomacy and Spain's Conquista and re-Conquista & Cultural Diversity in the Light of Catalonia's History.' Dr. Kaufman was also the moderator for the conference session.

The final speaker was Professor Miguel Ángel Sorroche Cuerva, Professor of Art History, University of Granada, who did a well received presentation and Q & A session on 'Mudejar Art: The Expression of a Culture and Three Religions.'

The conference gave the participants an insight into century’s tradition of multiculturalism and inter-faith dialogue within the Andalusia region of Spain as well as an opportunity to analyse concrete examples of cultural diplomacy in practice. In addition, the conference introduced participants to a network of like-minded individuals, and allowed them to explore the rich cultural landscape of Andalusia, Spain. Also the participants visited historic sites including the Alhambra in Granada, the Great Cathedral and Mosque in Cordoba (Mezquita de Cordoba), the Alcazar palace in Seville, and the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) in Ronda.

The conference participants included MA Students in International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy, at the ICD Center for Cultural Diplomacy Studies, who come from Norway, Columbia, USA, South Korea, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Morocco, Spain and Romania. Also some members of the Iman Foundation's Advisory Board participated.

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization with headquarters in Berlin, Germany. The ICD´s ultimate goal is to promote global peace and stability by strengthening and supporting intercultural relations at all levels. Over the past decade the ICD has grown to become one of Europe’s largest independent cultural exchange organizations, hosting programs that facilitate interaction among individuals of all cultural, academic, and professional backgrounds, from across the world.

Ribal Al-Assad made the following speech:

'Centuries of Multiculturalism and Inter-faith Dialogue within the Andalusia Region'

Good morning …

… and welcome to the Al Hambra.

I know that many of you have travelled long distances to be here …

… including the group from the ICD who flew in yesterday from Berlin.

And I am sure that you all share my awe …

… at finding ourselves in this exquisite and historic venue.

It is an honour to be hosting this joint conference …

… and humbling to do so here.

There will, of course, be an opportunity to explore Al Hambra later this afternoon …

… but I am sure that those of you who are here for the first time …

… have already glimpsed in wonder at its intricate plaster work …

… marble pillars …

… and epic scale.

Some say that Al Hambra was named after Alhamar - the Sultan who founded it …

… others that it was so-called because of its reddish walls.

Either way, it can be dated back at least as far as the ninth century …

… and it’s rich and eclectic history …

… has left us not just with the greatest surviving example of a medieval Muslim palace, built for the last Emirs …

… but also with a range of other religious and cultural influences, including the Reyes Catholics.

This has created a unique blend that has created such a magnificent ensemble of light, space and water.

As you will have noticed …

… the site now attracts tourists of all faiths …

… and is protected by UNESCO …

… with symbolic dualism apparent every time you walk from one room into another.

There cannot be a better example of cultural inter-connectivity anywhere on the planet.

Which makes it such a perfect place to bring together the ICD …

… and the Iman Foundation, which I chair.

The Iman Foundation was launched in 2010 …

… specifically to promote inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue …

… and to challenge extremism across the world.

We campaign incessantly against those who use the name of religion to promote hatred, violence and killing …

… and in the process we have attracted support from high-profile religious and political leaders from across the globe.

We have travelled to meet many of them …

… including the the late Pope Shenouda of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt …

... the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr. Ali Goma

..the Former Lebanese Patriarch Sfeir

...the Lebanese Patriarch Bshara Al Raii

… and the Mufti of Lebanon in Beirut.

… the President of the Jewish Community in Berlin …

… the leaders of the Protestant Church in Germany …

… the Head Monk of the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing …

In recent weeks we have hosted a dinner to celebrate the Jewish New Year …

… and have spoken in London to a packed meeting of the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council.

But these are early days …

… and we live in a world crying out for tolerance and cultural and religious harmony.

I am a Syrian …

… living in exile since the age of nine …

… only able to observe from the outside as my country is pulled apart …

… the process accelerated by the vested sectarian interests of its neighbours.

As a result, I have thought long and hard about the best antidotes to extremism.

I have spoken widely about my sincere belief …

… that the only real remedy …

… is pluralism.

And that ours is a mission that will not be accomplished through instruction …

… but through education.

That education involves creating a deep understanding of and respect for other beliefs and cultures.

It involves the development of empathy.

Despite what we may see on the news headlines across the globe …

… the majority of people in this world are moderate and peaceful.

Democracy , pluralism and education are the tools that can bring this majority to the fore …

… by suffocating extremism and persecution.

In my experience ..

… it is unquestionable that the arts can be an incredibly powerful catalyst in facilitating dialogue and change for the better.

I am no artist …

… but having travelled extensively pursuing the cause of freedom…

… I am in no doubt as to the role of cultural diplomacy …

… in facilitating the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity …

… across nations, cultures and religions.

As a result, I have followed the ICD and its work so closely …

… ever since it was founded by Mark Donfried eleven years ago.

We share a common outlook …

… and there is a natural synergy in so much of what we do.

All of which brings us here to Andalusia.

A region whose history is rich in cultural diversity and influence.

The original settlers here were indigenous Iberian tribes …

… whose way of life was changed forever by the Roman occupation.

The Visigoths then swept in from the South …

… holding sway until the Moorish invasions from the East.

Muslim ascendancy lasted over half a millennium …

… until giving way to the Catholic Monarchs …

… and the eventual development of ‘Modern’ Spain.

The political and cultural nuances of those periods are, of course, the subject of countless books, lectures and theses.

But it would be wrong to look at cultural synthesis, without first acknowledging the pain suffered during the process.

The ‘re-conquesta’, intensified during the Crusades …

… was a horrific period for the local Muslim and Jewish populations.

This region has experienced persecution, plague and civil war …

… but the ongoing interaction between its constituent populations has continued.

Which is vital …

… because it provides an ever greater lesson to those countries and regions currently embroiled in conflict.

Almost every tranche of Andalusian history provides hope …

… through evidence of cultural integration.

Under the Moors, music, art and theatre flourished …

… nurturing a tradition of intellectual growth.

Christians, Jews and Muslims co-existed.

And even as Cordoba, the last bastion of Muslim Spain, was falling …

… this atmosphere of ‘can do’ and adventure flourished …

… culminating in Christopher Columbus setting sail from Palos de la Frontera …

… setting in motion a three hundred year trading monopoly with the American Colonies.

By the time Columbus set sail …

… this building had been a royal residence for two hundred years.

And even once Christian hegemony had been established in the region …

… Al Hambra continued to flourish.

Charles V demolished and rebuilt parts …

… and a fortress was blown up in the period of French domination …

… but the majority of the site survived war and plague …

… and even a period beginning in the eighteenth century when it became deserted.

But even when Al Hambra was neglected …

… Andalusia continued to thrive culturally.

In 1790 an extra string was added to the Moorish lute …

… and the guitar was born …

… leading to the development of Flamenco music and ballet.

Picasso and Dali painted here …

… and students continued to flock to the universities in Seville, Granada, and Cordoba …

… that had been founded by Moors.

And as people from the three monotheistic religions lived together …

… their architectural, culinary and social traditions became entwined. As did their languages.

The Jews of medieval Spain commonly spoke Arabic.

The Christians spoke Spanish.

There are huge parallels between Arabic and Spanish …

… with approximately ten thousand derivative words.

I will leave an academic explanation to the experts …

… but as I speak both languages, it is fascinating to consider that Barcelona’s famous ‘La Rambla’ is based on the Arabic word for ‘riverside’.

Or that the shout of olé at a matador echoes the Muslim exclamation ‘Allah!’.

Or that the cold soup, gazpacho, which was originally made of bits and pieces of stale bread and vegetable scraps …

… takes its name from an Arabic word meaning “almsbox”…

… because everything from coins to chunks of bread and cheese were deposited in to feed the poor.

Mutual understanding breeds tolerance.

And even the most brutal periods in the region’s history have led to re-integration.

Jewish communities now flourish in Cadiz, Malaga and Granada.

Over a million Muslims live in Spain …

… worshipping in peace alongside the Christian majority.

Artists, musicians, theologians, academics and sportspeople gather here irrespective of faith or creed …

… in a culture that owes so much to all three religions.

It is an inspiring place to be …

… particularly at a time when there has never been greater need for cross-cultural understanding.

And that is the goal of the ICD and the Iman foundation.

We must continue to use art and culture to fight extremism and sectarianism …

… by encouraging dialogue …

… promoting education …

… and championing empathy and exchange.

When Spaniards bid one another farewell, they say “Hasta mañana”.

‘Hasta’ stems from the Arabic hattá …

… which is a compression of the Latin words ‘ad ista’.

And so I bid you a particularly cross-cultural ‘farewell’ …

… and invite you to look forward to some fabulous speakers in Granada, Cordoba and Seville over the next three days.

There really cannot be a more suitable place in the world to host this Conference.

Thank you!