Shared Values - A Shared Future

“Shared Values - A Shared Future…” website is supported and supervised by Bahçeşehir University and is dedicated  to find ways to overcome extremism by means of promoting and improving mutual understanding through free discussion and expression on a common ground.

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Under a partnership with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Bahcesehir University started a project that aims preventing one of today’s biggest problems; extremist propaganda and such messages.

 In September 2007, Bahcesehir University rector Deniz Ülke Arıbogan hosted Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband, secretary also gave a ground breaking speech in this meeting.

You can also see other documents information and pictures other than Mr. Miliband’s above mentioned speech.
You can also find additional information on the subject here. 

Before his visit to Turkey, Mr. Secretary wrote this article at The Daily Telegraph 5th September 2007, stating the importance of Turkey. Due to the correspondence of the events this speech given by the British Minister of State for Europe Jim Murphy also is of note.

During these meetings, a decision is made on creating a project regarding issues about possible precautions against extremist propaganda and messages, developing intercultural dialog and improve mutual understanding. With this webpage we are initiating the first step of this project.

The official title of our project is “Views from Turkey on countering extremist messages, developing intercultural dialogue and promoting mutual understanding” and is planned to last until March 2009. Activities will be posted in this site and the findings and information will both be published in academic literature and publicized by means of media.

Regarding this, the first issues that are to be discussed are as follows:

Necessary activities on accomplishing this project (seminars, meetings, workshops, brainstorming sessions, etc.) where various ideas will be discussed to shape the project,

To determine the topics of further meetings,

To determine the national and international participants that will be beneficial aspects for such meetings.

For such purposes a preparatory meeting was held in Bahcesehir University’s Besiktas Main Campus gathering various members of distinguished scientists from universities, opinion leaders and media correspondents.

As a final note the following issues are underlined.

In today’s world political and religious radicalization has become one of the major threats to peace.

Despite the sharpening and segregating effects of diversities these should be regarded as richness thus providing the sole way that will lead us to peace and ease.

The ways of exchanging sympathy can only be achieved by following the path of positiveness not negativeness.

Despite every other thing, people have to live together.

Drawing borders, declaring enemies, emphasizing differentiating identities and negativity will create unrest but not ease.

In İstanbul, a city that has a rich history, highlight should not concentrate on multiculturalism but cosmopolitanism.

Depicting gentleness and fairness as mainstream, opposing violence, giving no chance to the violence prone, not defining “the other” term based on the perspective of those violence prones should be our goals.

The campaign against extremist propaganda can only be achieved by clearly stating the differences between the previously mentioned violence supporting minority and moderates.

While doing these, each single material used by extremist propaganda mechanism should be decoded one by one, literally dissecting it.

A media campaign that clearly points out the differences between legends and truth is essential.

Manifesting the prejudice both for Eastern and Western civilizations will play an important role for this purpose.

In this regard, for extremists the methods and sources of rounding up supporters, level of activities and reasons should be clearly stated

Again in this regard common ideologies should be examined with respect to the ways of development and usage, the effectiveness of “but…” term in differentiating people. To be able to go beyond the ordinary these terms should be discovered.

It is also necessary to describe “Hate Speech” find out how it arises and is added to daily life conversations, and how it accesses there.

It’s already time in this struggle against extremism to discuss whether a utopia that might be defended by everyone can be expressed or not.

How is the extremist speech and action produced, spread and socialized? How can these be isolated? For such concerns, incident studies are mandatory. (children books are an example) It is also of great importance to decipher the hate speech. Similarly public speech, history books, differentiating speech should be studied in the aspects of innocence and fewness.

Extremism should be discussed regarding its terminological definition. Can we propose a definition such as “transforming the society, an organized way of intervening freedom”? What is the significance and importance of violence in this?

What is personal or social attitude of intention reading and attribution? What differences can there be between intention attribution and sincerity? What roles can rituals have in that?

On the other hand how the differences between orthodox and unorthodox can be fairly and moderately founded in the society? What acts can be done against sole moderate or dominance of the absolute moderate? In this regard how can we model center and foundation and environment terms?

If mutual understanding is to be cultivated, as a matter of fact this should be the aim and then the role of acceptable and provident should be addressed.

In this context research and analysis on “language” should be focused. Occasions should be examined, analyzed and with the addition of something that might be called as “Istanbul spirit” it should be pointed out that propaganda is related to intense, harsh, absolute and aggressive attitude. Language’s both value and worth should be revealed.

Main emphasis should be “overtness”: because overt people can exist with the others.  Extremism is introverted, on other terms it is closure to outside.

Discussion on extremism shouldn’t be limited to our country or with another country; it should be discussed regarding both our region and others. This should be based on a solid ground. Yet this is what should be expected from an international study.

On the other hand successful examples should be underlined and emphasized as “good practices” The discussion over whether religions are congruent with democracy should be ended and they should be regarded as two realities that do not conflict with each other.

The phenomena of “confirmation language” should be analyzed. What are the circumstances that prevent an open society and dialogue? What are the factors that affect notions and feelings?

The foundation of extremism in different cultures should be discussed including both traditional and social means.

It would be a pleasure and excitement for us to get to know the ideas of participants and discuss these matters in our forums. We are inviting everyone to participate the discussion in our forums.