2007 Commonwealth Lecture
What religion as a cultural force can learn from language as a global enterprise was the theme of the 10th Annual Commonwealth Lecture given this year by Dr Ali Mazrui, eminent and controversial scholar, to a packed audience at the London School of Economics.
Speaking on 'The Power of Language and the Politics of Religion', Dr Mazrui looked at the differences that surround religion and language and contended that language was more fundamental in human affairs than religion.
'Theoretically a society can function without having any theistic religion, but no society can function without having a language,' he said.
Dr Mazrui analysed why religious differences continue to trigger more conflict than linguistic quarrels and suggested that linguistic ecumenicalism could be one reason. He cited the case of India as a country that successfully accommodates its many diverse languages while promoting Hindi as its national language.
He delved into the successes and failings of the three Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - claiming that the only one to have been successful at home and abroad was Islam. He pointed to the continued use of Arabic, the original language of Islam, as a key contributor to this success.
To complement this year's Lecture, the Commonwealth Foundation, in association with the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, arranged a dialogue on religion between Dr Mazrui and young people. The informal discussion was filmed as the participants debated the causes of Islamaphobia, cultural awareness and the role of youth in religion.
Resources
Full text of the Lecture (PDF)
Audio of the Lecture
Video excerpts of the dialogue with young people
