World In

Staying In Perpetual Peace And Balance

www.gmomf.org
Final Revision

ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1

Official GMMF Logo Master

Wilton Park Conference

Logo Guide

Promoting Freedom Of Religion & Moderation

Global Moderation Roundtable

The Experience Of Moderation In Malaysia And Indonesia

Global Moderation Roundtable Lecture

Celebrating Diversity As The Key To Peaceful Co-existence

GMMF in Club de Madrid

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 Officer Khalek Awang khalek@gmomf.org Head of Research Phar Kim Beng pharkb@gmomf.org Senior Manager, Publications Kumaran Subramaniam kumaran@gmomf.org Senior Manager, Media & Communications Jenny Wong Jenny@gmomf.org Research Manager Asrul Daniel Ahmed asrul.daniel@gmomf.org DEPARTMENTS Research Mahmud Rajaie Othman Muhammad Abu Kadir Hana Shazwin Azizan Programmes Azri Wan Jaafar Tan Sian Hoo Administration Adilla Abdul Aziz Human Resource Norhafizah Mohamed Diah Personal Assistant to the Chairman Sha Dila Halid Special Officer to the CEO Zulkarnain Azman

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 first 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 fine 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 significant 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.

Foreword From The CEO

KHALEK AWANG Chief Executive Officer Global Movement of Moderates Foundation

Global Movement of Moderates Foundation 15th Floor, Menara Manulife 6 Jalan Gelenggang, Damansara Heights 50490 Kuala Lumpur Tel: +6 03 2095 1115 Fax: +6 03 2095 1215 Website: www.gmomf.org E-mail: info@gmomf.org

MODERATION MONITOR

ENGAGING THe HOLY See THROUGH MODeRAtION

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 final 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.

hile Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Flores, Buenos Aires, holds the distinction as the first 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 flock 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 farreaching reforms, an inclination he has since confirmed in both words and deeds. On his first 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

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 flourish. 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

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GLOBAL MODERATION ROUNDTABLE

THE EXPERIENCE OF MODERATION IN MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA

Venue: Grand Hyatt, Jakarta, Indonesia
n 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 first time the GMR was held abroad. The Malaysian delegation was made up of academicians, politicians, government officers and Islamic organisations. Indonesia was led by a delegation of mostly representatives of Muhammadiyah one of the largest Islamic organisations in Indonesia and also

Date: 12 February 2013

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

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.

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 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. Syaq A. Mughni of Muhammadiyah

Muhiyiddin, in his opening remarks before the start of the second session, touched on the importance of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. It is the spirit of mutual respect and tolerance shared by people irrespective of race and religion that allows religious harmony to flourish. 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 themed The Experience of Moderation in Malaysia and Indonesia successfully encapsulated and disseminated findings 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, specifically 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 benefit 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

Delegates and guests at the event

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4TH GLOBAL WORLD MODERATION CHINESE EcONOmIc ROUNDTABLE FORUm LEcTURE

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AS THE KEY TO PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE

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

ultural diversity refers to the diverse ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find 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 fulfilling 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

Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Jaafar and French Ambassador to Malaysia, Madame Martine Dorance were among the V.I.Ps present at the 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.

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From left: Madame Martine Dorance, Professor MarieSybille 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

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 field of peaceful coexistence and education to enhance GMMFs role as the centre of first 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 sociocultural and education issues. G For more information and images visit www.gmomf.org

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4TH ANNUAL WORLD CONfERENcE CHINESE EcONOmIc CLUB DE MADRID FORUm

HARNESSING 21ST CENTURY SOLUTIONS:

Venue: William J. Clinton Center

A FOCUS ON WOMEN

Date: 1718 December 2012

Members and advisors of Club de Madrid

he 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 theme Harnessing 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

plenary to discuss the findings and concrete solutions offered by the breakaway sessions, and a closing and award giving ceremony.

THE CONFERENCE
The 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

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

Leila Janah - Club de Madrids 2012 Young Leadership Award winner

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 together was facilitated by famed BBC correspondent and host of Hard Talk Stephen Sackur. The discussion with the panellists focussed on the various findings 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 29year -old American entrepreneur who founded Samasource to find innovate ways for social business that connect women and youth living in poverty to dignified 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 office of President Clinton. G For more details and images of the Annual Conference Club de Madrid, visit www.gmomf.org

The ofcial conference dinner hosted by Governor Mike Beebe

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 Trafficking of Women. Facilitated by former New Hampshire Congresswoman Jackie Weatherspoon, the discussion featured personalities such as

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WILTON PARK CONfERENcE

Combating Intolerance:

Promoting Freedom Of Religion & Moderation

Venue: Canada House, London Date: 3-5 December 2012
ilton Park, in association with the Canadian High Commission and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 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.

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 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 SESSIONS
Beyond the basic theme, other issues discussed during the panel sessions include: l Combating intolerance and promoting freedom of religion or belief; supporting the inclusion and participation of all. The significance of UN Human Rights Resolution 16/18.
Canada House on Trafalgar Square in London, James F. - Wikipedia l

Sharing 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. Ensuring freedom of religion or belief by combating societal and cultural obstacles to inclusion and freedom of religion. Sharing best practice: equipping policy makers to promote inclusive plural societies, including through the development of guidelines and toolkits. Engaging with civil society, developing partnerships, building networks to protect against intolerance and discrimination and to promote freedom of religion or belief.

SUMMARY
The 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 significance (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 definitions are all included under human rights definitions. 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

BREAKOUT GROUP SESSIONS

The Breakout Group sessions featured discussions on two crucial areas that are: l Fostering 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.
l

Promoting 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.

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BOOK REVIEw

Edited By Shaun Breslin& Richard Higgot

International Relations Of The Asia Pacific

Published: 2010

Reviewed By Phar Kim Beng - Head of Research, Global Movement of Moderates Foundation
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 Pacific, is a compilation of all the best academic articles in the field of international politics over the last 30 years, with a distinct focus on the debates and discourses in the region of Asia Pacific.The editors Shaun Breslin and Richard Higgott two of the most notable names in the field 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 first volume focuses on the theories of international relations,the second on security,the third on the political economy of developmentand, finally, 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 significant factor on domestic developments. Regardless of the impact of globalisation, the peculiarities of Asian past will significantly shape the future.For example, many Asian countries are

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