Islam was also the topic of much discussion throughout the Forum. Although there were sessions dealing with the successes and failures of Islamist parties in the political process and also the problem of identity and reform that included writers such as Karen Armstrong, Faisal Abdul Raouf and the French scholar, François Burgat, the more sustained discussions took place in the C100 West-Islamic initiative's sessions at the WEF. In a keynote speech that was one of the most engaging of the whole programme, HRH Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad of Jordan outlined the situation on the deteriorating relations between the West and Islamic communities. In a firm, yet nuanced, and powerfully articulated tour-de-force [speech found in this issue], Prince Ghazi warned that things would get worse unless governments implemented policies that had trickle-down effect to the population and positively affected popular culture. He also stressed that religious extremism could only be combated through giving the traditional/orthodox voices of the Islamic faith a platform rather than calling for a secular reformation or by co-opting ultra-progressive groups who hold minimal constituency among Muslims. Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Mufti of Egypt and a notable representative of such a traditional/orthodox posture, called the C100 group to develop a code of conduct among religions that would attempt a similar outcome as the Amman Message has been pivotal to Muslim unity in the face of extremism.

The preliminary results of the Gallup Poll of the Muslim world were also revealing. Dalia Mogahed and her team are producing the largest, and most in-depth study of Muslim opinion ever, covering more than 90% of the world's Muslim population. The Gallup results together with the Muslim American poll released by the Pew Research, will provide the kind of data that organizations and policymakers need to get their hands on to assess patterns and trends in Muslim opinion and demographics.

Achieving stability, security, and peace in the Middle East will require inclusive solutions and solidarity among the various communities that live in the region. With the escalating bloodshed in Iraq; the unrest in Afghanistan; the worsening religious friction in Lebanon; the weekly Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory and the tit-for-tat reprisals by Hamas & co; and so on — it is difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel. The destabilizing effects of proxy wars must be put to an end, and one can only hope and pray that efforts such as those of the WEF, which put a premium on dialogue and debate as a way of out of human conflict, prevail in the end.

SOHAIL NAKHOODA is Editor-in-Chief of Islamica Magazine