CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A prominent imam speaking at Harvard University on Thursday rejected the notion of a fundamental “clash of civilizations” between the Muslim World and the West and called for greater cultural understanding.
The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of some 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, told a packed audience that society must strive to be more “pluralist” and “cosmopolitan,” meaning people should actively seek out difference and diversity and learn from it.
He said globalization should not mean the creation of a single, homogenized society where all differences are erased, but one where what we have in common and what makes us different is respected.