Did President Obama Attend the Alliance of Civilizations Forum or Not?

Brett Schaefer / April 09, 2009

Over the past month, the press in predominantly Muslim countries was abuzz that President Barack Obama was scheduled to attend the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum during his recent visit to Turkey. The AoC is an attempt by the U.N. to quell perceived tensions between Muslim and Western nations by promoting “dialogue” – an interesting word choice for what is, in effect, a one way conversation.

The base document for the Alliance of Civilizations focuses on the supposed failings of Western countries while largely ignoring the faults of Muslim nations. For instance, little attention is paid by the AoC to overcome serious discrimination against and intolerance of Judaism, Christianity and minority Muslim sects in predominantly Muslim countries. As noted in an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, (more…)