gmmf newsletter issue 5

8/13/2019 GMMF Newsletter Issue 5

1/12

www.gmomf.org ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1

Staying In Perpetual Peace And Balance

World In

GMMF inClub deMadrid

Wilton ParkConference

Promoting Freedom OfReligion & Moderation

GlobalModerationRoundtableThe Experience Of

Moderation In MalaysiaAnd Indonesia

Global

ModerationRoundtable

LectureCelebrating Diversity

As The Key To PeacefulCo-existence

i l i i

i


2/12

T

his issue brings several

activities and achievements

of GMMF to the fore: two

conferences on Indonesia

and India, conference in London and,

an additional trip by myself to seal

the MOU between GMMF and the

Madin Academy. There are three

reasons that drive such a frenetic pace

of activities. First, GMMF is coming to

its rst anniversary. As with any major

milestone, it has been important to

celebrate it with more local and global engagement, true to its

calling as the global movement.

Secondly, GMMF displayed a ne grasp of issues on the bilateral

relationship of Indonesia and India. It has been most appropriate

to hold these events with the goal to enhance the intellectual

exposure, and subsequent to that, draw on the views and visions

of others on how best to advance the cause of moderation, as

mooted by the Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak.

Finally, the conference in London in particular seeks to cement the

tie between Malaysia and the United Kingdom, especially between

their civil society and ours.

There has been signicant progress on all fronts. Stakeholders that

have come to know GMMF such as the Faith Regent Foundation or

Muhammidyah Movement in Indonesia have begun to understand

the importance of mutual engagement. Moderates cannot cower

behind their borders only, but must cross them time and again

to strengthen their network and connections without especially

across Track I, II and III. This newsletter seeks to showcase the spirit

and tangible achievements of GMMF.

KHALEK AWANGChief Executive Ofcer

Global Movement of Moderates Foundation

Foreword From The CEO

PATRON

Prime Minister of Malaysia

YAB Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Tan Sri Razali Ismail (Chairman)

Professor Dato Wira Dr Khairil Annas Jusoh

Dato Mazri Muhammad

Associate Professor Dr Hamidin Abdul Hamid

Mohd Khair Ngadiron

Dato Ng Tieh Chuan

MANAGEMENT

Chief Executive Ofcer

Khalek Awang

[email protected]

Head of Research

Phar Kim Beng

[email protected]

Senior Manager, Publications

Kumaran [email protected]

Senior Manager, Media & Communications

Jenny Wong

[email protected]

Research Manager

Asrul Daniel Ahmed

[email protected]

DEPARTMENTS

Research

Mahmud Rajaie Othman

Muhammad Abu KadirHana Shazwin Azizan

Programmes

Azri Wan Jaafar

Tan Sian Hoo

Administration

Adilla Abdul Aziz

Human Resource

Norhazah Mohamed Diah

Personal Assistant to the Chairman

Sha Dila Halid

Special Ofcer to the CEO

Zulkarnain Azman

Global Movement of Moderates Foundation

15th Floor, Menara Manulife

6 Jalan Gelenggang, Damansara Heights

50490 Kuala LumpurTel: +6 03 2095 1115

Fax: +6 03 2095 1215

Website: www.gmomf.org

E-mail: [email protected]


3/12GMMF03

MODERATION MONITOR

While Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario

Bergoglio of Flores, Buenos Aires, holds the

distinction as the rst non-European Bishop of

Rome for over 1,200 years, his appointment

has been cause for much optimism not only for the

Catholic faithful but also for adherents of various spiritual

traditions the world over. With an online ock of over 5

million twitter followers and growing, Pope Francis appears

set on living up to his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, the

founder of the Franciscan order renowned for his humility,

love for humanity, and concern for the downtrodden.

Indeed, Pope Francis choice of name had suggested that

he was keenly interested in bringing about serious and far-

reaching reforms, an inclination he has since conrmed in

both words and deeds. On his rst Easter address delivered

in the presence of some 250,000 devotees, he caught the

world off guard when, along with the customary appeal

for peace, he had admonished the role of uncaring

capitalism, denunciating it as being on the same footing

as armed violence. He had earlier shocked conservatives

on March 15th when, during his visit to the Casal del Mamo

youth detention centre in the outskirts of Rome, he had

unprecedentedly washed and kissed the feet of two

female detainees, one of them a young Muslim woman, in

a traditional rite that echoed the nal act of humility that

was performed by Jesus towards his disciples.

Already being referred to many as the peoples Pope, the

current head of the Holy See had, in his address on March

22nd, 2013, impressed upon the members of his diplomatic

corps of the necessity of building bridges, both with God

and between people, especially with those from different

cultures and of different faiths, remarking on the primacy

of dialogue among the various religions. It is especially

heartening to hear the Pope making special mention

of the need for the Vatican to engage with the Islamic

community, and try to forge authentic bonds of fraternity

amidst vast differences and great diversity.

Accordingly, in his congratulatory message to Pope Francis

upon his appointment, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Sri

Najib Tun Razak had expressed great hopes aspirations

that the diplomatic relations between Kuala Lumpur

and the Vatican that were historically established in 2011

will continue to advance and ourish. Cognizant of the

Popes keenness in fostering better understanding and

amity that traverses civilizational boundaries and inspire

dialogue between the different religious traditions, Najib

has expressed great interest in working with the Holy See

through the Global Movement of Moderates initiative.

Informed by Malaysias own experience in managing

the relations and maintaining harmony between the

various communities that make up the countrys culturally

and ethnically diverse populace, the Global Movement

of Moderates seeks to forward idea of moderation as

a means of cultivating authentic bonds of civility and

sustainable foundations for peace through the rejection of

extremism in its various manifestations. G

ENGAGING THE

HOLY SEE THROUGHMODERATION


4/12GMMF 04

THE EXPERIENCE OF

MODERATION IN MALAYSIA

AND INDONESIAVENUE: Grand Hyatt, Jakarta, Indonesia Date: 12 February 2013

On 12 February 2013, the

Global Movement of

Moderates Foundation

(GMMF) hosted a

Global Moderation Roundtable

(GMR) at the Grand Hyatt in

Jakarta, Indonesia. The Forum

held in conjunction with Deputy

Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan

Sri Muhiyiddin Yassins visit to

Jakarta marked the rst time

the GMR was held abroad. The

Malaysian delegation was made

up of academicians, politicians,

government ofcers and Islamic

organisations. Indonesia was

led by a delegation of mostly

representatives of Muhammadiyah

one of the largest Islamic

organisations in Indonesia and also

GLOBAL MODERATION ROUNDTABLE

Masdar F Masudi, the Rais Syuriah

Pengurus Besar Nahdlatul Ulama.

GMMF CEO Khalek Awang delivered

the welcoming address, and the

roundtable proceedings were

moderated by Associated Professor

Dr Hamidin Abdul Hamid, a member

of GMMFs Board of Trustees.

A group photo of the delegation led by Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Yassin (seated, fourth from right)


5/12GMMF05

Muhiyiddin, in his opening remarks

before the start of the second session,

touched on the importance of

mutual respect and peaceful co-

existence. It is the spirit of mutual

respect and tolerance shared by

people irrespective of race and

religion that allows religious harmony

to ourish. We can practically avoid

any forms of clashes of cultures and

that makes peaceful co-existence

possible, he said. Muslims, Christians,

Hindus, Buddhist and people of other

faiths lived alongside each other for

centuries and have learnt how to

respect and accept each other as

fellow citizens in democratic nations

across Southeast Asia. Being a stable

region, Southeast Asia continues to

enjoy peace and stability which in

turn helps the region sustain a steady

economic growth, he added.

The GMR themedThe Experience

of Moderation in Malaysia

and Indonesia successfully

encapsulated and disseminated

ndings on how both Malaysia and

Indonesia promotes moderation

amongst its respective diverse

population. The issues raised during

the roundtable include the need for

moderation in the economy where

economic disparity amongst the

population, specically between

the ethnic Muslims and non-Muslim

Chinese in Indoensia, could possibly

be a problem in the near future

if it is not addressed properly. A

similar scenario exists in Malaysian

but Malaysians have been more

successful in increasing the equity of

the Malays. Nevertheless, theres still

a lot of work to be done. There was

also the need to address issues that

affect the views held by people

in both countries to counter any

uncalled for hatred or suspicion of

one another.

This is especially true where the

media is concerned and the need

to report matters in a fair manner.

Sensationalised news regarding

Malaysias treatment of foreign

workers is one of the examples

where the media would portray

Malaysia in a bad light. Seeing

that there are more similarities than

differences, Malaysia has a lot

to benet from having closer ties

with Indonesia as there is immense

untapped potential. Concurrently,

the roundtable strengthened the

connections and networks of

emerging scholars on Indonesian

Islam with various stakeholders in

the region, especially those with a

common agenda for moderation,

not just in governance but foreign

policy, sustainability, gender studies,

legal reforms, Islamic banking, the

youth and media. G

For more information and images

please visit www.gmomf.org

From left: Member GMMFs Board of Trustees

Associate Professor Dr Hamidin Abdul Hamid,

Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Tan Sri

Muhiyiddin Yassin and Nahdatul Ulamas Masdar

Farid Masudi

GMMF CEO Khalek Awang (left) and Professor

Dr H. Syafiq A. Mughni of Muhammadiyah

Delegates and guests at the event
http://www.gmomf.org/http://www.gmomf.org/


6/12GMMF 06

CELEBRATING

DIVERSITY AS THEKEY TO PEACEFUL

CO-EXISTENCE

Tunku

Naquiyuddin Tuanku

Jaafar and French

Ambassador to

Malaysia, Madame

Martine Dorance

were among the V.I.Ps

present at the lecture

VENUE: Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Date: 11 December 2012

Cultural diversity refers to the diverse

ways in which the cultures of groups

and societies nd expression. These

expressions are passed on within

and among groups and societies. The UNESCO

universal declaration of cultural diversity is

constructed on the basis that it is a driving

force for development, not only with respect

to economic growth, but also as a means of

leading a more fullling intellectual, emotional,

moral and spiritual life. Cultural diversity is

thus an asset that is indispensable for poverty

reduction and the achievement of sustainable

development. The defence of cultural diversity

should uphold the commitment to human rights

and fundamental freedoms, in particular the

rights of persons belonging to minorities and

those of indigenous peoples.

Consequently, the Global Movement of

Moderates Foundation (GMMF) and the

Embassy of France in Malaysia jointly organised

the Global Moderation Roundtable Lecture

themed Coping with Diversity or Building

Citizenship?Some remarks beyond INALCO

experiment featuring Professor Marie-Sybille

de Vienne, the Director of the Centre for

International Studies and the Centre for South

and Southeast Asian Studies of the French

National Institute for Oriental Languages and

Civilizations (INALCO). Founded in 1669, INALCO

is the oldest European and World academic

4TH WORLD CHINESE ECONOMIC FORUMGLOBAL MODERATION ROUNDTABLE LECTURE

institution dedicated to teaching and

researching non-Western European cultures.

It offers courses that teach 93 languages and

cultures to some 10,000 students of all origins.

The social background of both the students

and the academic staff makes INALCO a

laboratory to experiment not just the clash of

civilisations but the co-existence of a diversity

of cultures that contributes to the building of

citizenship, said Professor de Vienne, who has

published a dozen books on Southeast Asia,

China and Japan as well as over 50 articles

in peer reviewed journals and book chapters.

Beyond the INALCOs case study, it appears

that knowledge of different cultures helps in

promoting understanding not only of other

cultures but also of ones own, she added.


7/12GMMF07

Professor de Vienne also stressed that the

moderation concept goes hand-in-hand with

tolerance and respect towards others. If there is

no moderation, society can fracture to the point

that it may implode, she said. GMMG Chief

Executive Offer Khalek Awang, who had pledged

to work closely with INALCO as both organizations

have a common goal of celebrating cultural

diversity in peaceful co-existence, concurred with

Professor de Vienne.

Diversity is a key characteristic of the globalised

world, and its imperative to have regular

dialogues on our differences and commonalities

in order to develop a creed that will strengthen

respect for peaceful co-existence. Education, on

the other hand, is a powerful instrument to correct

human misperceptions and prejudice, said

Khalek, adding that education could also enrich

the number and quality of solutions by adopting

moderation as a way of life steeped in the search

for justice, equilibrium and equity.

The Foundation may request INALCO to

conduct research in the eld of peaceful co-

existence and education to enhance GMMFs

role as the centre of rst resort in the consolidation

and dissemination of information on moderation

against extremism as expressed by the Malaysian

Prime Minister, he added. Both GMMF and

INALCO signed an MoU on playing a more

important role to promote cooperation on socio-

cultural and education issues. G

For more information and images visit

www.gmomf.org

From left: MadameMartine Dorance,

Professor Marie-

Sybille de Vienne,

GMMF CEO Khalek

Awang & GMMF

Chairman Tan Sri

Razali Ismail after

the signing of the

MoU between GMMF

and INALCO

Professor

Marie-Sybille de

Vienne


8/12GMMF 08

4TH WORLD CHINESE ECONOMIC FORUM

Members and

advisors of Club

de Madrid

ANNUAL CONFERENCE CLUB DE MADRID

The Annual Conference Club de

Madrid was held between 1718

December 2012 in Little Rock,

Arkansas hosted by the William J.

Clinton Foundation and the Heifer Foundation

on the themeHarnessing 21st Century Solutions:

A Focus on Women. The focus was on reviewing

approaches and strategies for womens

empowerment in view of the opportunities

and challenges presented in the 21st century.

Besides this, the organisers also focused on the

post-conference opportunities with regards to

identifying partners, participants and concrete

initiatives to help implement the outcomes of

the Conference at different levels around the

Globe. Attended by prominent personalities

and former world leaders, the conference

featured an opening session plenary, two

breakaway discussion sessions, a second

HARNESSING 21ST CENTURY SOLUTIONS:

A FOCUS ON WOMENVENUE: William J. Clinton Center Date: 1718 December 2012

plenary to discuss the ndings and concrete

solutions offered by the breakaway sessions,

and a closing and award giving ceremony.

THE CONFERENCEThe inaugural lunch featured a talk by

famous media personality and womens

empowerment activist Geena Davis, who

argued passionately about the need to have

more women depicted more positively in the

mainstream media, and the need not only to

engage women, but more importantly the men

who are in a position to do something about it.

The opening session and framing the debate

session was graced by prominent speakers,

including President Bill Clinton, US Secretary of

State, Hillary Clinton (via Video), and former

President of the Republic of Ireland Mary


9/12GMMF09

Robinson, who spoke about how quotas are

still needed at least in the short run, to achieve

the critical mass (a term widely referenced

throughout the conference) of participation by

women to effect change.

The breakaway sessions covered several

themes, one of which was on Harnessing

Technology for Womens Political

Empowerment: The 2.0 Challenge, facilitated

by Lili Fournier of PBS Quest series and featured

speakers such as Ann Mei Chang, Senior

Advisor for Women and Technology, US State

Department, and Frank McCosker, head of

the International Organizations Division of the

Microsoft Corporation.

Another session, held in the morning of

the second day, focused on Sharing

Responsibilities in the Fight against Trafcking of

Women. Facilitated by former New Hampshire

Congresswoman Jackie Weatherspoon, the

discussion featured personalities such as

Kim Campbell, the former Prime Minister of

Canada, TarjaHalonen, the former President

of Finland, and Carol Kidu, Former Member of

Parliament of Papua New Guinea.

The afternoon session, entitled Bringing it

all togetherwas facilitated by famed BBC

correspondent and host of Hard Talk Stephen

Sackur. The discussion with the panellists

focussed on the various ndings presented by

the breakaway sessions as well as other best

practices when it comes to strategies towards

empowering women in the 21st century.

The closing and award ceremony featured a

rousing speech by President Bill Clinton, and the

presentation of the Club de Madrids Young

Leadership Award for 2012 to Leila Janah, a 29-

year -old American entrepreneur who founded

Samasource to nd innovate ways for social

business that connect women and youth living

in poverty to dignied work through the use of

the internet.

A total of 115 of the Malaysian Prime Minister

Dato Sri Najib Tun Razaks Book of Speeches

on the Global Movement of Moderates, as well

as brochures on GMMF, were distributed to the

conference participants, including the ofce of

President Clinton. G

For more details and images of the Annual

Conference Club de Madrid, visit www.gmomf.org

Opening session and a video presentation from US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton

The official

conference

dinner hosted by

Governor Mike

Beebe

Leila

Janah - Club

de Madrids

2012 Young

Leadership

Award winner


10/12GMMF 10GMMF 10

WILTON PARK CONFERENCE

Combating Intolerance:Promoting Freedom Of

Religion & ModerationVENUE: Canada House, London Date: 3-5 December 2012

Wilton Park, in association with the Canadian

High Commission and the Foreign and

Commonwealth Ofce, organised

a conference entitled: Combating

intolerance and promoting freedom of religion or belief

for all: working on UN Human Rights Council Resolution

16/18. The basic theme of the conference focuses on

the freedom of religion or belief, and inclusion in society

with Resolution 16/18 as a starting point for discussion.

Speakers and participants of the conference ranged

from drafters of Resolution 16/18, to members of the

United Nations (UN) organisations, to civil society groups

related to religious freedom. The Global Movement of

Moderates Foundation (GMMF) was represented at

the conference by Chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail and

Research Associate Hana Shazwin Azizan.


11/12GMMF11

GMMF Chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail speaking during his session on

the theme Engaging with civil society, developing partnerships, building

networks to protect against intolerance and discrimination and to promote

freedom of religion or belief

PANEL SESSIONSBeyond the basic theme, other issues discussed duringthe panel sessions include:

lCombating intolerance and promoting freedom

of religion or belief; supporting the inclusion and

participation of all. The signicance of UN Human Rights

Resolution 16/18.

lSharing best practice: protecting individuals from

persecution or discrimination on grounds of religion

or belief within domestic policy including tackling

constitutional, legislative and administrative dimensions

of discrimination.

lEnsuring freedom of religion or belief by combating

societal and cultural obstacles to inclusion and freedom

of religion.

lSharing best practice: equipping policy makers to

promote inclusive plural societies, including through the

development of guidelines and toolkits.

lEngaging with civil society, developing partnerships,

building networks to protect against intolerance and

discrimination and to promote freedom of religion or belief.

BREAKOUT GROUP SESSIONSThe Breakout Group sessions featured discussions on two

crucial areas that are:

lFostering pluralism and overcoming obstacles to the open

and equal participation of all groups in society, promoting

the ability of all communities to manifest their religion.

lPromoting inclusion and combating intolerance

through education to ensure that faith schools make

a positive contribution to society through positive

messages on inclusion, non-discrimination and the

valuable contribution faith groups play in society.

SUMMARYThe conferences audience comprised many specialists

on the topic of Resolution 16/18, international human

rights, and religious leaders of civil society groups.

Although a great deal of the conference revolved

around Resolution 16/18, its history, terminology, and

cultural signicance (a point of contention between

the European and Asian participants) some interesting

topics were brought up. Firstly, that there appears

to be a lack of information or understanding of

human rights and human rights law. Secondly, that

freedom of religion and belief encompasses freedom

to change belief or freedom to disbelieve, and that

these denitions are all included under human rights

denitions. Thirdly, that the meaning of pluralism

must be properly understood as the existence of

several dissenting opinions or beliefs at once, and

that each opinion/belief has a right to exist and to be

acknowledged or respected. Fourthly, that there must

be more active civil society participation in attempting

to bridge ethno-religious differences which must be

supported by government efforts. G

For the detailed report on the Wilton Park Conference,

visit www.gmomf.org

Canada House on Trafalgar Square in London, James F. - Wikipedia


12/12

BOOK REVIEW

Edited By Shaun Breslin& Richard Higgot PUBLISHED: 2010

Reviewed By Phar Kim Beng - Head of Research, Global Movement of Moderates Foundation

International Relations of the Asia Pacic, is a

compilation of all the best academic articles

in the eld of international politics over the last

30 years, with a distinct focus on the debates

and discourses in the region of Asia Pacic.The

editors Shaun Breslin and Richard Higgott two of

the most notable names in the eld of international

politics at University of Warwick, England have

done an excellent job of curating the most relevant

articles.These are distributed in 4 volumes, with

each volume having 15 articles, for a total of 60

articles. The rst volume focuses on the theories of

international relations,the second onsecurity,the

third on thepolitical economy of developmentand,

nally, the last section focuses on Regions and

Evolving Regions.

The approach is both scholarly and objective. Mark

Beeson, one of the leading contributors in the 4th

volume, argued that Asian history will always have

a signicant factor on domestic developments.

Regardless of the impact of globalisation, the

peculiarities of Asian past will signicantly shape

the future.For example, many Asian countries are

struggling to transform dynastic polities into a

nation state. Even Singapore, which is a city-state

that claims to run on meritocracy, is acquiring a

hereditary character. The same goes for Thailand,

the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Japan, and Korea.

All these countries have leaders at the helm based

on their family pedigree.

Thus, rather than delving into the uniformed effects

of international relations, which Kenneth Waltz a

professor emeritus at Columbia University argues

are ever present, Beeson takes a completely different

approach. Beesons article points to how much the

past continues to shape the future. Volume 2 has a

coherent analysis of the security issues facing China

and other countries making competing claims on

various parts of South China Sea. MuthiahAlagappas

piece Asian Practice of Security: Key Features and

Explanations, is an excellent overview of the primary

security concerns of the Asian states.

To a large extent, Asian countries are driven by

internal security concerns rather than external ones,

claimed Alagappa, although this too will change in

the coming years, as indeed it is changing marked

by the parallel rise of China, Japan and Korea; all

of whom are concerned with one another. In all,

the concept of security is cast widely to allow other

perspectives to be tenable too, such as the dynamics

between China and Japan and China and United

States (US). In Volume 3, the scholars debate whether

the worlds economic paradigm is based on China or

US consensus.

Volume 4 essentially tries to explain how East Asian

regional integration may occur, or failif China and

Japan do not see eye-to-eye on major issues.In all,

this is an excellent collection of the best articles. All

serious political scientists should have the four volumes

at their beck and call. Ideally the Global Movement

of Moderates (GMM) can curate and catalogue

different articles on moderation too. Then the debates

on moderation would be even more disciplined. G

International Relations Of

The Asia Pacifc

gmmf newsletter issue 5

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