PARIS – With a welcoming, warm smile, spontaneity and modesty, new UNESCO chief Irina Bokova welcomed IslamOnline.net into her office in the UN agency’s Paris headquarters.
Eager to hear about reactions to her election from in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and sorry for the bitterness created by her defeat of Egyptian rival Farouq Hosni, the Arab-Muslim candidate of Africa and the Arab world, she tried to reinforce on clear message during the 45-minute interview.
“No. I do not think so,” Bokova said emphatically when asked if she was the candidate of the north who defeated the candidate of the south.
“I was the candidate of Bulgaria, a country that does not the known standards for a country of the north. Bulgaria was never a colonizer.”
Bokova defeated the Egyptian culture minister to become the UN's cultural head, in what some described as a conspiracy against the candidate of the south who was the favorite in earlier voting rounds.
Hosni himself has accused UNESCO of being "politicized."
“Until the third round of voting, I was just the candidate of Bulgaria. I was not even the sole candidate of Europe,” contended Bokova.
“After the third round I was able to secure the majority of votes, which were not all from countries of the north.”
Bokova said the countries of the north had only 12 votes in the 58-member UNESCO Executive Council, which elected the new director general.
“So winning 31 votes was actually a victory for the third world and other countries and I, therefore, do not consider myself the candidate of the north.”
* Rich Arab/Muslim Culture
Bokova, the UNESCO’s first female chief and the first from the former Soviet bloc, vocalized her admiration of the Arab and Muslim culture and civilization.
“Culture plays a very major role in the Arab and Muslim world,” she told IOL, noting that this dates back thousands of years ago.
“I know this world very well through its huge heritage and museums that stand witness to it.”
Bokova, who was serving as Bulgaria’s UNESCO representative, asserted that during her tenure in Paris she enjoyed the exhibitions organized by the Arab World Institute in Paris to showcase the wealth and richness of the Arab and Muslim culture.
“I’m convinced that one of my duties as UNESCO director general is shedding more light on the wealth and richness of this major civilization,” she maintained.
“I’m optimistic about this and we can do several programs in this regard.”
Bokova refuted claims that she was supported by the influential Jewish lobby to give Israel a better chance to pursue its Judaization of Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem).
“I was never hostage to such lobbies during my election,” she stressed.
“As for Jerusalem, I would just remind you that the city is already on UNESCO's World Heritage List, which means that any changes violate international treaties and charters on protecting world heritage.”
She also cited resolutions adopted by UNESCO in 1968 calling on Israel not to change the realities in the holy city under the pretext of excavations.
Israel and its powerful lobby in UNESCO reportedly feared having an Arab/Muslim UNESCO chief at a time it is speeding up plans to judaize the holy city, home to Islam’s third holiest shrine.
* Islamophobia
The UNESCO’s chief reiterated her call for a world that respects cultural diversity which means being more tolerant with the other.
Underscoring the UN agency’s efforts to build bridges between different cultures and peoples, Bokova stressed the need to fight all forms of racism.
“Islamophobia is a dangerous phenomenon and must be confronted just like all other forms of racism,” she told IOL.
“As the UNESCO director general I’m personally ready to working on curbing this phenomenon.”
Bokova is drawing on her personal experience in co-existing with Muslims in her home country Bulgaria.
“In Bulgaria we have a Turkish Muslim minority as well as Bulgarian Muslims who have long co-existed with the rest of the population,” she explained.
“I come from a small village where Muslims constituted 80 percent of the population. I spent my childhood and school vacations in this atmosphere,” she recalled.
“I used to visit my grandmother who was living in the Muslim neighborhood, so my personal life had that taste of multi-culture and respect for the other.”
Bokova credits the Turkish minority for Bulgaria’s time-honored relations with the Muslim world, particularly Turkey.
“Our relations are not just based on common past but common destiny as well.”
The new UNESCO chief concluded that her interview with islamOnline.net was part of her efforts to send a clear message to the Arab and Muslim world.
“I have deep personal and cultural bonds with the Arab world. I have no predispositions whatsoever because I know this world and its culture.
“I’m stretching my hand out to work together and clear all misunderstandings.”
Source: IslamOnline
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