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Q&A: "Religion Is The Private Sphere, Not The Public"

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Interview with Shlomo Ben-Ami, former Israeli Foreign Minister

VENICE, Nov 26 2007 (IPS) - To curb fundamentalism and fight terrorism, "Religion must be kept out of politics," warns Shlomo Ben-Ami, former Israeli foreign minister.

Shlomo Ben-Ami Credit: Toledo International Centre for Peace

Shlomo Ben-Ami Credit: Toledo International Centre for Peace

Ben-Ami, an Oxford-trained historian, has been a key contributor in many Arab-Israeli peace conferences – most notably the Camp David Summit in 2000. He had a distinguished career at the University of Tel Aviv before he was appointed Israel’s ambassador to Spain in 1987. He later became a member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and was minister of public security before becoming foreign minister.

Ben-Ami currently serves as vice president of the Toledo International Centre for Peace, a centre for Muslim culture and peaceful Christian-Muslim- Jewish relations in Spain.

"Fundamentalism is not a monopoly of Islam," Ben-Ami said in an interview with IPS correspondent Sabina Zaccaro. "You find fundamentalism in Judaism, you find it in Christianity and in Islam also," he said.

Some excepts from the interview:

IPS: What should religious leaders do keep their communities away from dangerous fundamentalism and to promote dialogue?


Shlomo Ben-Ami: To begin, I think they should recognise and acknowledge the challenges within their own religion, not only that of the others. One has to make an effort to educate one&#39s own society, and not just preach to the other. Religious leaders have a standing in their societies, they have reputation, and they have prestige, therefore they have much influence in generating more positive attitude towards others. This seems to me to be very important.

 
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