Droit de l'Economie Internationale et du Développement, et les Communications Mondiales

  Official Common Good Initiative Web site

To learn more about the For the Common Good Initiative, please visit

 http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info 

"Dedicated to Global Dialogue and Cooperation"

JGCG is made possible by the voluntary services of its co-editors and the generous support of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Science, Department of Communication and Creative Arts, and Center for Global Studies at Purdue University Calumet, USA  

*Kamran Mofid, Founder, an Inter-faith Perspective on Globalisation for the Common Good. He was awarded a doctorate in economics from the University of Birmingham, U.K in 1986. In 2001 he received a Certificate in Education in Pastoral Studies from Plater College in Oxford.

Dr. Mofid’s work is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on Economics, Politics, International Relations, Theology, Culture, Ecology and Spirituality. His writings have appeared in leading scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers.

His most recent book, Promoting the Common Good: Bringing Economics and Theology Together Again: A Theologian and an Economist in Dialogue, is co-authored with Rev. Marcus Braybrooke and was published by Shepheard-Walwyn, London, in June 2005. Web site:

 www.globalisationforthecommongood.info

*کامران مفید، بنیانگذار این نهاد و مولف کتاب « یک دید بین الادیانی در باره ی جهانی شدن برای خیر عام» مدرک دکتری خود را در رشته ی اقتصاد از دانشگاه بیرمینگهام در انگلستان در سال 1986 به دست آورد.در سال 2001 گواهینامه ی تدریس در مطالعات دینی را از کالج پلاتر ( Plater ) در آکسفورد کسب کرد.

آثار دکتر مفید در باره ی موضوعات مختلف از جمله اقتصاد، سیاست ، روابط بین الملل،الهیات، فرهنگ، محیط زیست و معنویت می باشد.مقالات او در تعدادی از بهترین نشریات علمی و فرهنگی و مجلات و روزنامه ها چاپ شده است.آخرین کتاب وی « پیشبرد خیر عام: نزدیک سازی مجدد اقتصاد و الهیات، گفتگوی یک اقتصاد دان و یک الاهی دان» با همکاری کشیش مارکوس برای بروک نوشته شده است و توسط انتشارات شیفرد والوین در ژوئن 2005 در لندن به چاپ رسیده است. 

NOTE: We thank Dr. Farhang Jahanpour for translating this document from English to Persian

Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative
by
Kamran Mofid

It has been observed by many throughout history, religion has been both a source of blessing and curse. Religion has been, and is, a major factor in many conflicts and wars around the world. There is a real danger now that these unwelcome truths about the true meaning and function of religion, combined with political/economic injustice, human rights abuses, poverty, hatred, fear, ignorance, globalisation, war as an instrument of imperial policy, and the failure to respect international legal or ethical principles, will aggravate conflicts, intolerance, and even anarchy around the world.

Committed to spirituality, compassion and respect for others, truly religious people must not allow their religion to be hijacked and abused in this way by exclusivist ideologues. We must make a stand together for peace, understanding, mutual respect, dialogue and justice. We must welcome religious diversity and concede that no single religion can claim a monopoly of Truth. Indeed, at this time in our history and journey- facing globalisation, global warming, aids and more- we need each other far more than in the past, and the future of our world demands that we teach to our students, parishioners and communities the value and benefits of dialogue, co-operation and interdependence.

In order to provide a better understanding of the role of religions in the age of globalisation, in 2002, in Oxford, a small and humble movement, “Globalisation for the Common Good” came into being. This movement is for “Rekindling the Human Spirit and Compassion in Globalisation”. We wanted to have an alternative to the current dominant economic/free trade globalisation and to make globalisation good for all. Our movement found many dedicated and committed friends around the world. From Oxford we went to St. Petersburg, Russia, then to Dubai. In 2005 we were in Kenya. 2006 will take us to Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii. Future conferences are currently under consideration.

Globalisation for the Common Good mission is to promote ethical, moral and spiritual values into the areas of economics, commerce, trade and international relations amongst others, as well as personal virtues, to advance understanding and action on major global issues by civil society, the private enterprise, the public sector, governments, and national and international institutions, leading to the promotion of collaborative policy solutions to the challenges posed by globalisation. We are committed to the idea that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere, ‘it is a region of the human spirit’. Whilst considering the many economic questions and issues we should also reflect on the Divine dimension of life, and should, in contrast to what is practised today, be concerned with the world of heart and spirit. We view the problem and challenge of globalisation not only from an economic point of view, but also from ethical, spiritual and theological perspectives.

We affirm our conviction that a genuine inter-faith dialogue and co-operation is a significant way of bringing the world together; leading to the creation of a harmonious environment needed to build a world of peace, justice and prosperity for all. The call for Globalisation for the Common Good is an appeal to our essential humanity to deal with some of the most pressing concerns of peoples the world over.

Religion has always been a major factor in the growth of human civilisation. Business and wealth creation when they are for a noble reason are blessed and vital for human survival.

Bringing religions and business together for the common good will empower us with humanity, spirituality and love. It will raise us above pessimism to an ultimate optimism; turning from darkness to light; from night to day; from winter to spring. This spiritual ground for hope at this time of wanton destruction of our world, can help us recognise the ultimate purpose of life and of our journey in this world. 

برنامه ی جهانی شدن برای خیر عام

(Globalization for the Common Good Initiative)

کامران مفید*

همانطور ی که خیلی ها متذکر شده اند، در طول تاریخ دین هم منشاء خیر بوده است و هم منشاء شر. هم در گذشته هم در حال حاضر ، دین عامل بزرگی در درگیری ها به شمار آمده است.احتمال زیادی وجود دارد که این واقعیات تلخ در باره معنا و نقش واقعی دین همراه با بی عدالتی های سیاسی و اقتصادی ، نقض حقوق بشر، فقر، نفرت ، جهالت،جهانی شدن، استفاده از جنگ به عنوان ابزاری برای پیشبرد سیاست های امپریالیستی  و نادیده گرفتن مقررات و موازین بین المللی و اخلاقی باعث افزایش در گیری ها و مناقشات و حتی اغتشاشات در سراسر جهان شود.

دینداران واقعی که پایبند معنویت، شفقت و احترام به دیگران هستند نباید اجازه دهند که دینشان  موجب سوء استفاده ایدئولوژی های انحصار طلب قرار گیرد.باید همه با هم بر موازین صلح، تفاهم، احترام متقابل ، گفتگو و عدالت تاکید کنیم.ما باید از پلورالیسم دینی استقبال نموده و بپذیریم که حقیقت در انحصار کامل هیج دینی نیست. در حقیقت در این برهه از تاریخ که شاهد جهانی شدن ، بالا رفتن درجه حرارت جهان، بیماری ایدز و مشکلات دیگر هستیم، با همکاری با یکدیگر بیش از گذشته نیاز داریم.آینده ی جهان بستگی به آن دارد که  به فرزندانمان،  هم مسلکانمان و به همه آدمیان ارزش گفتگو، همکاری و همدلی را بیاموزیم.

برای تبیین  نقش دین در جهانی شدن یک نهضت کوچک و کم در جایی به نام « جهانی شدن برای خیر عام» در سال 2002 در شهر آکسفورد پایه گذاری شد. هدف این نهضت تقویت معنویت و شفقت در نهضت جهانی شدن است.ما می خواهیم مدل دیگری در برابر مدل قطعی  جهانی شدن که مبتنی بر قدرت برتر اقتصادی  و تجاری است  ارایه نموده و جهانی شدن را در وضعیت خیر و صلاح عام قرار دهیم.نهضت ما دوستان متعهد زیادی در سراسر جهان به دست آورده است.از آکسفورد به سنت پیترزبورگ در روسیه و سپس به دبی رفتیم.در سال 2004  در کنیا  بود و در سال 2006 به دانشگاه چمی نید در هاوایی کنفرانس برگزار خواهد کرد .برنامه های دیگری برای سال های آینده در دست تهیه است.  

رسالت نهضت « جهانی شدن برای خیر عام » این است که ارزش های اخلاقی ، دینی . معنوی را در زمینه های اقتصادی و تجاری و در روابط بین الملل و در حوزه های خصوصی ترویج داده و زمینه تفاهم و همکاری در مسائل عمده ی بین المللی ، جامعه جهانی، فعالیتهای بخش خصوصی و بخش های عمومی و دولتی و موسسات علمی و بین المللی فراهم آورد و سیاست های همکاری همگانی برای مقابله با پالش های جهانی شدن را تشویق و ترغیب کند.

ما اعتقاد راسخ داریم که اقتصاد بازار تنها یک موضوع اقتصادی صرف نیست بلکه مکتبی برای ترویج روح انسانی است.در عین توجه به بسیاری از سوالات و مطالب مربوط به مسایل اقتصادی ما باید به جنبه های معنوی بشر توجه نموده و بر خلاف آنچه که امروز مطرح است ، به مسایل دل و روح نیز توجه نماییم. ما به مشکلات و چالش های جهانی شدن نه تنها از نظر اقتصادی که همجنین از جنبه های اخلاقی ، دینی و معنوی هم می نگریم.  

ما اعتقاد راسخ داریم که گفتگو و همکاری واقعی بین ادیان ابزاری مهم برای نزدیک شاختن جهانیان و ایجاد یک محیط مشاعد برای ساختن جهانی همراه با صلح ، عدالت و بهروزی برای مردم خواهد بود.پیام نهضت « جهانی شدن برای خیر عام» پیامی خطاب به وجدان انسانی برای مقابله با برخی از این امور در سراسر جهان است.

دین همیشه یک عامل اساسی در پیشبرد تمدن بشری بوده است. هم چنین اگر اقتصاد و تولید ثروت نیز در خدمت ایده های اخلاقی قرار گیرند می توانند باعث پیشرفت انسانیت، معنویت و عشق و محبت شوند و ما را از یاس و بد بینی به سوی امید و خوش بینی واقعی سوق دهند و از شب به صبح، ار تاریکی به روشنایی و از زمستان به مهار رهنمون شوند.

« جهانی شدن برای خیر عام » چگونه آغاز شد؟ مقاله زیر را بخوانید.

http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=2551

 یکشنبه 29 ژانویه 2006 به قلم کامران مفید  

Informed media perceptions vital to address stereotyping

    Pictures by Khalfan al Ruzaiqi

Top academicians from Purdue University in the United States address the media exposition organised by OEPPA yesterday.

By Ebby Chacko George

MUSCAT — Informed media perceptions are vital to address the stereotyping heaped on the Middle East in general and the Muslim community in particular, a delegation of media academicians from the United States said yesterday in a media exposition organised by Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA), publishers of the Observer and its Arabic sister daily Oman. Present on the occasion were Abdullah bin Nassir bin Musallam al Rahbi, Chief Executive Officer of OEPPA, Ibrahim bin Saif al Hamdani, Editor-in-Chief of the Observer, directors and senior journalists of OEPPA.

The delegation from Purdue University Calumet is on a visit to the Sultanate to discuss academic co-operation with Bayan College. Maurice Gent, Adviser to the CEO of OEPPA, said the debate on stereotyping in media was aimed at exchange of ideas on accurate reporting and avoiding the pitfalls of stereotyping. The media in the Western countries and the Middle East must get rid of prejudices and misconceptions that divide them and resort to objectivity in their reports, he said, adding that the key question was whether the problem of stereotyping had worsened over the last few years, leading to strained relations.

Dr Daniel M Dunn, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Purdee University, said that as people become more educated, they will become appreciative of individual differences. The media has a weak spot in that it always looks for drama, he added. However, readers who are more educated learn to do more than just look at television or take news reports on their face value and rather go in for understanding different perspectives on the same subject and learn to treat people as individuals, Dr Dunn said. The media is doing a tremendous disservice to the world by stereotyping people through inaccurate perceptions, he said, adding that they do this without even meeting the people on whom they paint a distorted picture.

Answering a question raised by the CEO of OEPPA whether the media establishments had become very powerful and hence they continued to play the game of stereotyping, Dr Richard Rupp, Associate Professor of Political Science, concurred that stereotyping against the Middle East was continuing in the Western media. The educated people, however, do not take these negative portrayals seriously, he said, adding that they were stunned to even hear from President Bush the word 'crusade' he used during a post-September 11 briefing to refer to tackling the menace of terrorism.

The connotation of such words leave disturbing impressions in the minds of people in the Middle East, he added. The stereotyping of the Middle East and the counter prejudices against the Western countries have gone up since the September 11 incident, he added. The media and academia can work together to forge a strong alliance in order to counter stereotyping, Rupp said. What we need is peace and development in the world rather than distrust and enmity, he added. "We must work together and focus on reason." The Editor-in-Chief of the Observer asked the visiting delegation whether their perceived impression and the reality of Oman differed.

Dr Michael Flannery, Head of the Department of Behavioural Sciences and the White Lodging Professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management, said that the media publications in the US did not highlight much about Oman. What Oman can offer to the world in terms of investment prospects in various fields, especially tourism and export industries, need to be highlighted, he added. The peace, prosperity and transformation of Oman as a modern country of the 21st century can serve as a role model for other countries in the region, Dr Rupp said. Oman does not have any major problems and exerts a strong influence of peace and stability in the region, he added.

Philip Brierley, Dean of Bayan College, said educators can highlight the risks and dangers of stereotyping and how it happens. Often an individual is wrongly perceived as the representative of a community, thereby casting prejudiced views on the entire communities, he added. The media must help people to bridge the information gap, he pointed out. Dr Yahya R Kamalipour, Professor and Head of the Department of Communication and Creative Arts and Director of the Centre for Global Studies, said the word stereotype referring to public opinion was coined by Walter Lipman. The typecasting process puts an entire group or region in a single basket without any sound basis, he added.

In the Western media, the countries in the Middle East are generalised without any distinction between nations, culture, religion or climate, Dr Kamalipour said. With regard to Islam, they have a wrong perception that all Muslims are the same, he added. This stereotyping has existed for long, but the modern media has globalised the issue, he said, adding that this is a challenge faced by us. The action of a few can damage the reputation of the entire community represented by them as the media revels in highlighting the negative developments, he added.

Education is very important and we must learn to treat people as individuals, Dr Dunn said. In a conflict, ethnic groups get labelled due to stereotyping, he said, adding that the media must take a responsible role to address this issue. The media and educators must work together wherein students can be exposed to multiple perceptions, he added. As people become educated, they become sensitive to cultural pressures and help break inaccurate perceptions, Dr Dunn pointed out.

With the digital media offering an overload of information, the danger of stereotyping worsens as people resort to short cuts to glean information, Dr Brierley said. By obtaining a single view, which need not necessarily be a true reflection of a community or country, the whole picture is often lost, leading to stereotyping, he added. We must handle the Internet and the digital media with great care to obtain the true picture, he pointed out. Dr Rupp said the digital media had made some positive contributions in addressing the one-way flow of information from the West. The digital technology has changed the traditional media equations, resulting in convergence of information from all over the world, he added.

Source: Oman Observer