Owing to two-year long efforts of Spanish Premier José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the UN Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) had won mandate against extremism and to galvanize dialogue on issues of religion, race and culture.

Five years later, the UNAOC might have become globally recognized, its achievements are far too limited than ambitiously envisaged. Over the last decade, Europe has continuously slid into the hands of far-rightists who ban religious slaughter in The Netherlands, impose fine on veiled car driving by Muslim women in France and forbidding circumcision in Germany. Equally ironic is the fact that the US which could spend an estimated $135 trillion on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq too pays little attention to radical Evangelical Christians led by the like of pastor Terry Jones.

One cannot help believing here that the world has no institutions to bring such radicals to the table and generate a healthy dialogue. Though the UNAOC has so far held four international fora, the last one being in filthy rich Qatar, the mega events have become a way to show-off the host nation’s wealth and ambitions than anything more global. The ongoing event in Austria, on the contrary, may hardly bring together the necessary gray matter. Faced with serious economic difficulties, both UNAOC and the Austrian government are working to continue the ritual. Though the agenda focuses all the right issues, lack of follow-up on the previous forum and tangible goal setting for the next one remain missing links.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and European Union (EU) are the other global institutions with the desire and mandate to forge peace and co-existence. Despite its long history and much-trumpeted ambition of fighting Islamophobia, the OIC has failed to take the issues head on, partly due to its headquarter being in Saudi Arabia and partly owing to lack of consensus within the key members.

Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has made use of the organization’s clout in helping resolve conflicts in Somalia and the Philippines but the OIC has done little to speak for the rights of minorities in its member-states, a step that can become a major CBM with the West. Moreover, the representative body of 1.5 billion Muslims leaves much to be desired on Islam and the West front.

Simultaneously, the EU’s record is equally dismal. Marred by the notion of freedom of expression, the body has yet to effectively take up the question of immigrants’ integration.

The role Hollywood has been playing in stereotyping the image of Muslims qualifies due recognition. The entertainment empire can be more effective than collective action by OIC and EU. Owing to its sheer impact and financial strength, a focused strategy to sensitize directors, actors and producers about cultural, religious and racial stereotypes can transform abundant negative energy into constructive output worldwide.

Clichéd it has become to emphasize the role of media in opinion-making yet enough has not been achieved in practical terms. For example, Quran burning incident in Afghanistan was never covered by The New York Times unless the revenge attacks took the toll on the NATO troops, namely Americans.

May it be UNAOC’s Vienna Forum or OIC and EU-funded roundtables for thought leaders, their efficacy and success can be gauged through prevalence of tolerance and respect for the others’ choices. The institutions leading the cause for peaceful co-existence first need to address their own stereotypes from within.

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