Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 07/06/2022
Through the Department of Cultural Affairs, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a cultural lecture on the celebration of the International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on the twenty-first of May. The lecture, which took place today, Tuesday, June 07, 2022, was part of a series of periodic lectures held by the OIC at its headquarters in Jeddah.
The Mauritanian writer and researcher, Dr. Abdallah El-Sayed Ould Abah, gave a lecture entitled: “Universalism and Cultural Diversity in the Concept of Human Commonality.” It focused on several areas, most notably modernity as a cosmic project within the conceptual, theoretical components, and the axis of modernity or modernities, in the concept of cultural pluralism, while the third axis was (Universal humanity within Identities and Commonalities).
Dr. Ould Abah said that the problem of diversity dated to the eighteenth century when the problem of identity or the basis of modernity emerged through human self-awareness.
In this context, the lecturer indicated that the conflicts and wars taking place in the international arena, as is happening now in the war between Russia and Ukraine, reflect the intellectual backgrounds of the opposition movement to the unilateral universalism that reflected Western control over the world and the unity of the Western system. Ould Abah added that the slogan of intercultural dialogue as a source of cultural diversity and rights has led to a massive predicament because it was misunderstood as reflecting juxtaposition and not focusing on blending; it consolidates separation between separate and distinct identities that have nothing in common, which establishes a rupture between the circles of humanity and what may lead to fueling conflict, contrary to what these intercultural models hope.
Ould Abah stressed that monotheistic religions contribute to perpetuating this common discourse. Still, he stressed that this idea should not consider the confusion of religions but rather the adoption of their distinction from each other even if they share collective human commonalities.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Ould Abah holds a doctorate in modern and contemporary philosophy. He is a professor of philosophical and social studies at the University of Nouakchott in Mauritania, in addition to his work as a visiting professor at Arab and international universities. He has a set of articles, studies, and research published in several newspapers and journals.
