Under the patronage of the Goethe Institute in Rammallah, a seminar was organized at An-Najah entitled “Europe and the New Middle East”. A presentation was made by German writer Dr. Naveed Kermani who discussed the existing perceptions in Europe about the middle east and those in the middle east about Europe. He discussed the bases that define the European policies towards the middle east and whether Europe can help in the new democratic reforms in the Middle East.
Prof. Kermani also talked about Iran and the European position towards Iran. He read some paragraphs from an article he had written entitled “It would be a disaster for Iran if Europe’s policy of reconciliation with Tehran were to succeed”. He clarified that the only way the world can become a safer place is through dialogue and not war. He stated that Europe has failed to deal effectively with the Iraqi crises and assured the audience that instead of condemning the United States for going to war against dictatorships, Europe would have done better to think about how to topple dictators without precipitating chaos in their countries.
Prof. Kermani also discussed other topics and the audience, formed from students and professors, asked questions and discussed the topics with Prof. Kermani.
Prof. Naveed Kermani: Born in Germany and of Iranian descent, has a PhD in Islamic Sciences. He is also a writer and currently lives in Colon, Germany.