Moot on globalisation and indigenous culture ends on optimistic note

An international conference on “Globalization and its Impact on Indigenous Cultures”, jointly organised by the Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD) and Critical Thinking Forum of the Department of English Language and Literature of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) and International Institute of Islamic Thought, (IIIT), USA concluded here on Friday.
International Institute of Islamic Economics (IIIE) Director General Dr Asad Zaman chaired the proceedings of the second day of the conference.
Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan Vice Chancellor Professor Hasan Abbas Hasan, and Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayyed also attended the conference.
IIUI faculty members, administrative officers, staff members and a large number of students were also present on the occasion.
Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Dr M Nazrul Islam spoke on “Globalization-New Threats and Old Insecurities: Bangladesh Perspectives”, Dr Tugrul Keskin spoke on “The Religious and World Dimension of the Gulen Movement” and Dr Safeer Awan spoke on “Radical Islamisation and Globalization: Impact on Cultural Multiplicity in Pakistan”.
Dr Tugrul Keskin said that after the single party era which ended in 1946 during the initial stages of cold war, Turkish foreign and domestic policies began to shift towards a new relationship with US and NATO with the help of the Marshal Plan.
He added that in Turkey there was high inflation after the 1973 elections. He said that globalisation started in Turkey after the process of privatisation under IMF & World Bank programs in 1984 to 1988.
He said the Islamist parties in Turkey also followed privatisation & free market and accepted globalization. “The modern Turkish society consists of two major thinking forums- the Islamic movements and the secular movements.
The globalisation gives excellent strength to the education which improved standard of living in turkey to bring freedom of speech and human rights,” he added.
Dr Asad Zaman concluded the conference while saying that Islam was the only hope to change the prevailing circumstances of the world as capitalism and feudalism had failed.
He added that there was no need to be afraid of the pomp and glory of the West since the Muslims had a complete code of life in the form of Islam.
Dr Asad Zaman further said that all the nations of the world were trying to increase their GNP and despite an ample increase in that, they had failed to improve the standards of life of the masses.
Dr Nazarul Islam said the impact of globalisation on Bangladesh might not be observed as that of developed nations but it was better compared to the other neighbouring countries.
He added that the negative impacts of globalisation in Bangladesh could be linked to the international policymaking. He said 25,000 non-formal schools were being operated in Bangladesh under the NGOs which was a great symbol of globalisation.
Dr Safeer Awan said Islam had been a unique ideology throughout the history and that the globalisation could only be successful if all the humanity were considered as one single brotherhood.