When Syracuse University holds its peace forum this week, it will not be the first time such an event has taken place on the SU Hill.

In 2006, SU hosted the International Peace Summit on Oct. 18. Much like the Common Ground for Peace events being held Monday and Tuesday, the summit began with a forum in which prominent figures in the world of multicultural affairs discussed issues of global peace in an academic setting.

The speakers for the 2006 event included Palestinian legislator and scholar Hanan Ashraw; Tel Aviv University President Itamar Rabinovich; Rami Khouri, editor at large of The Daily Star, a Middle Eastern regional newspaper; and Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The summit was held largely in part as a response to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. As part of a symbolic gesture, a performance was held after the summit that featured two rappers: Matisyahu, a figure in the hip-hop world known for his Jewish beliefs, and Kenny Muhammad, a Muslim beat-boxer.

The significance of the two artists was not lost on Tom Walsh, executive vice president for advancement and external affairs at SU. Walsh took note of the fact that the two artists played together even after the show ended, and found that there was something special in the exchange.

“My background is all in the arts,” Walsh said. “I believe that if you look into most great social changes, they’ve been fostered primarily by poets and musicians.”

Walsh attended the 2006 summit and will be attending the forum with the Dalai Lama next week as well.

The presence of the Dalai Lama will set the two events apart, Walsh acknowledged. While the summit’s approach concentrated more on policy and politics, this week’s forum will delve into the realm of consciousness, Walsh said.

There are undeniable similarities between Common Ground and the 2006 summit, he said.

“It was similar, I think, in aspiration. It was a very, very difficult year in Mideast relations, war spinning out of control at that time,” Walsh said. “If universities weren’t going to try and create some dialogue of this, where was it going to occur?”

While the two events held similar attributes, the scale of One World “brings it to a different level,” said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president of public affairs. The scale of the concert and the position of the Dalai Lama as a peaceful figurehead set the two apart.

The Dalai Lama will be visiting fewer than 10 American campuses in his 2012 tour, and SU will be the first of the group to have him visit.

“It becomes a differentiation point, having an event like this at the scale that we’re doing it,” Quinn said. “I just think it’s a great opportunity.”

After reflecting on some of the themes of the 2006 summit and discussing the relationship between the past forum and the upcoming one, Walsh made note of the common denominator between the two, and the inevitable need for more events of their nature.

Said Walsh: “If you look at the world, do we have less conflict than in 2006? I think the answer, unfortunately, is no.”

Published on October 8, 2012 at 5:01 am

Contact Chelsea: cedebais@syr.edu | @CDeBaise124