Aga
Khan Receives Tolerance Award from the Evangelical
Academy of Tutzing
Calls for a new “cosmopolitan ethic”
rooted in a strong culture of tolerance
(please also see the Aga
Khan's address in English and Deutsch
and related
photos)
 |
Dr.
Friedemann Greiner, Director and Chairman
of the Jury (left), presenting the Tolerance
Award 2006 to His Highness the Aga Khan as
Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's Minister
of Foreign Affairs (right), looks on.Click
on image for more photos.
|
Tutzing,
Germany, 20 May 2006 – His Highness
the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili
Muslims and founder of the Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN), said today that the revolutionary
impact of globalisation and record levels of international
migration require development of a new “cosmopolitan
ethic” to support constructive pluralism and
greater tolerance among different cultures and societies.
He was speaking at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing
(Evangelical Academy of Tutzing) where he received
the Tolerance Award in recognition of his efforts
to promote greater understanding and respect between
peoples and cultures and for his dedication towards
social, cultural and economic development in some
of the world’s poorest countries.
In accepting the Award, the Aga Khan noted that
increasing global migration means “peoples
who once lived across the world from one another
now live across the street”.
“But societies which have grown more pluralistic
in makeup are not always growing more pluralistic
in spirit,” he said. “What is needed
– all across the world – is a new “cosmopolitan
ethic” rooted in a strong culture of tolerance.”
It meant overcoming animosities that are often born
out of fear or a lack of understanding of those
who are different as well as learning to work together
in the hope of a better future.
“The replacement of fear by hope is probably
the single most powerful trampoline of progress,”
he said. “When hope takes root, then a new
level of tolerance is possible, though it may have
been unknown for years, and years, and years.”
Germany’s Evangelische Akademie Tutzing is
renowned for bringing together leaders of political,
cultural and religious thought. The Tolerance Award
was established by the Academy in 2000 and is presented
every second year to an individual whose life work
is committed to building greater understanding and
tolerance between different cultures and traditions.
“The Aga Khan promotes a culture of tolerance
defined by a pluralistic view of the world,”
the Academy said in its Award citation. “He
believes that respect for pluralism, and valuing
and protecting the diversity of cultures, nationalities
and religions around the world are essential for
ensuring peace.”
German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, delivered the laudatory address for
the Award presentation and praised the Aga Khan
for his philanthropic activities and his efforts
to promote greater tolerance in the world.
During his laudatory address, Dr Steinmeier described
the Aga Khan as a “fortress for democratic
progress, as someone wishing to bring about sustainable,
pluralistic, civil societies”.
“We honour an exceptional man, we honour a
huge friend of humankind, we honour a courageous
visionary and we honour a person building bridges
between societies,” he said. Elaborating on
the work of the Aga Khan Development Network, he
said, “Only when people have access to education
and training, and when healthcare is provided, can
democratic and pluralistic societies emerge. This
is your guiding principle, your leitmotiv.”
The Aga Khan drew on his personal experience as
an individual educated in the West, while having
spent nearly 50 years working largely in the developing
world, saying that his commitment to the principle
of tolerance grows out of his religious faith and
his role as hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.
Contrary to the historical tendency of the West
to separate the secular from the religious, the
Aga Khan explained that one of the central elements
of the Islamic faith is the inseparable nature of
faith and the world. “The two are deeply intertwined,”
he said. “They constitute a ‘Way of
Life.’ The role and responsibility of an Imam,
therefore, is both to interpret the faith to the
community, and also to do all within his means to
improve the quality, and security, of their daily
lives.”
He said the ancient teachings of Islam, like those
of other great religions, affirmed both the unity
of humanity and the diversity of mankind. Despite
the long history of religious conflict, he noted,
there is also a counter-history of religious focus
on tolerance as a central virtue.
“It is striking to me how many modern thinkers
are still disposed to link tolerance with secularism
– and religion with intolerance,” he
said. “In their eyes – and often in
the public’s eyes I fear – religion
is seen as part of the problem and not part of the
solution.”
"When people speak these days, about an inevitable
“Clash of Civilisations” in our world,
what they often mean is an inevitable 'Clash of
Religions,' explained the Aga Khan. The essential
problem in relations between the Muslim world and
the West was, rather, a “Clash of Ignorance”
which had to be addressed by “a concentrated
educational effort”.
“Instead of shouting at one another, we must
listen to one another and learn from one another,”
he said. “As we do, one of our first lessons
might well centre on those powerful but often neglected
chapters in history when Islamic and European cultures
interacted cooperatively – constructively
and creatively – to help realise some of civilisation’s
peak achievements.”
The Aga Khan is the fourth recipient of the Tolerance
Award. The first winner in 2000 was former German
President Roman Herzog, who received the award for
his efforts towards intercultural and interfaith
dialogue. Daniel Barenboim, distinguished pianist
and conductor, received the second award in 2002
for his extensive efforts to bring Palestinians
and Israelis together through music. The 2004 award
winner was Swedish author, theatre producer and
director Henning Mankell who endeavoured to raise
awareness as a keen activist for development and
change in Africa, particularly during the apartheid
regime in South Africa.
For further information, please contact:
Friedemann
Greiner
Director and Chairman of the Jury
Evangelische Akademie Tutzing
Schlossstraße 2 + 4 - 82327 Tutzing
Telefon: 08158 2510 Telefax: 08158 996444
Internet: http://www.ev-akademie-tutzing.de
Semin
Abdulla
Secretariat of His Highness the Aga Khan
Aiglemont
60270 Gouvieux
France
Telephone: 33 3 44 58 40 00
Fax: 33 3 44 58 42 79
e-mail: information@aiglemont.org
website: www.akdn.org
Notes
The
Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual
leader) of the Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant
of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). A Harvard
graduate in Islamic history, the Aga Khan, succeeded
his grandfather as Imam of the Ismailis in 1957.
He
is the founder of the Aga Khan Development Network,
a group of private, non-denominational development
agencies whose mandates range from health and education
to architecture, culture, rural development and
the promotion of economic development through private-sector
enterprise. It operates in 30 countries, seeking
to empower communities and individuals – often
in disadvantaged circumstances – to improve
living conditions and opportunities, especially
in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central
Asia and the Middle East.
The
AKDN relationship with Germany began in 1992, and
in 2004, AKDN signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for strengthening
development cooperation. Today, AKDN is engaged
with German institutions in 40 projects across nine
countries, in six sectors.
Last
year, the Aga Khan was awarded the Quadriga Prize
in Berlin, Germany, in recognition of his life’s
work.
