Can “The Whole World" Be Wrong? (2025)

TO LIVE IN a global society means to live with awareness that we are not in this world alone. The 2016 Notable Books for a Global Society winners, individually and collectively, issue to readers an invitation to live wide open to multiple voices and possibilities while also developing insight into who they are, who they might be, and how they might engage to make the world a better place for each person in it. In The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination, Robert Coles (1989) writes about the power of story to help each of us " find a good way to live this life, " of how " responding to the moral imagination of writers " can bring us to understand ourselves better but also to embrace " the moral imperative of fellow human beings in need " (p. 205). In short, stories can change the ways we see ourselves and others. They can call us to be more humane and more connected, to see beyond what we think we know to imagine what might be. Selecting and promoting books for young readers is an act rich in potential and fraught with responsibility. An engaging book—a well-told story-has the power to challenge prejudice, foster empathy, open eyes and ears to voices and perspectives not previously heard or respected. Conversely, a book can affirm stereotypes and strengthen already loud voices so that the softer ones are moved more firmly to the side. The stories we share with readers may help them see and understand themselves and affirm that they exist, that they count. Stories can also move us to see beyond what we know and experience in our lives to see, hear, respect, and care about—another's life and truth. When we take seriously our responsibility to find and promote many voices, we are in essence, working toward justice and creating a more peaceful world. An acute awareness of that responsibility guided our work as we developed this list, and we offer these books and related teaching suggestions as a springboard for teachers who seek to co-create a better world one reader at a time. We approached our reading and analysis from a critical literacy stance, an understanding that no text is neutral but rather every text reflects a particular perspective and embodies particular values. When we read from a critical literacy perspective , we are aware of the view of the world that is depicted, and we wonder whose voices, perspectives, and experiences have not been heard. As we read, we sought out voices—historical and contemporary—that may not often be heard in the clamor of books available for young readers. We looked for expertly crafted books that readers would want to read—the ones our students, our own children, and we ourselves eagerly devoured and couldn't wait to talk about. We pursued books that celebrated the power, wonder, and joy of the human experience. In the curriculum suggestions we provide below, we explore ways to develop highly capable readers, writers, and thinkers who understand and care about those around them and are

World as Global Sin_Sabahudin Hadzialic_2018.pdf

Review by Nizar Sartawi, Jordan Hadzialic’s World As Global Sin: A Torch Amidst The Darkness The last three centuries, which constitute the late modern history, witnessed two major revolutions that have changed our world dramatically: the industrial revolution and the knowledge revolution. The former, which began around the middle of the 17th century, marked a transition to manufacturing processes that broke away from the dominance of agriculture. The latter, probably still at its beginning, is characterized by a fast-paced technological advance that started in the last decade of the 20th century with the advent of the cyber-technology. Entering into our life softly, yet powerfully, this new comer has turned the world into a village. In theory, such advancement would lead to the improvement of people’s life by making it easier. However, contrary to expectations, it has been exploited by big enterprise owners and advocates of capitalism, who form only a very small percentage of the population of the earth. This has resulted in widening the gap between them and the rest of the world. In response to this and other concerns and threats, Dr. Sabahudin Hadzialic has embarked on writing a series of scientific essays discussing issues that affect the lives of billions of people throughout the globe. Hadzialic’s book, World As Global Sin, is a collection of 21 essays that have been published in the Eurasia Review, “an independent Journal and Think Tank that provides a venue for analysts and experts to disseminate content on a wide-range of subjects.” Hadzialic tackles these issues directly, with the robustness of a serious thinker and the experience of a prolific writer who has penned over 20 books of poetry and prose and a large number of essays that have earned international acclaim. Hadzialic’s carefully selected title tellingly indicates the panoramic nature of the book: It takes a 360-degree view, addressing the world at large. Hadzialic believes that our globe, manipulated by a few selfish, powerful politicians and corporate entities who are only concerned about protecting and advancing their interests, is at great risk. Unless the current state of affairs is changed by planning and implementing rigorous and effective solutions, our world will continue marching to its doom, as he suggests in his essay, “Fading Of Civilization(s).” In his discussion of our global maladies, Hadzialic maintains that nowadays many of the salient concepts that have acquired a universal publicity worldwide are being distorted. Expressions, such as democracy, freedom, religion, ethics, globalization, populism, terrorism, as well as many others, are becoming buzz words that are often misused, misinterpreted, or misdirected. They are deliberately employed by superpowers over and over again to serve hidden agendas. For Hadzialic, however, they are complicated, multi-faceted idioms that need to be redefined. One noteworthy example is democracy, a key word that occurs frequently throughout the book, and a concept that is linked with almost every subject that the author undertakes. According to Hadzialic, practicing democracy entails the prevalence of law. Law, however, cannot be enacted effectively unless there is equality among all people. For “nobody is free,” Hadzialic affirms, “if somebody’s democracy is violated.” Therefore, in a government where certain people are exempted from the law, democracy is meaningless; in a place where democracy is practiced on the basis of populism or under the aegis of “neo-liberalism” democracy is fake; in “an ethnically divided country,” democracy does not work; in a state where an elected ruler thinks he is free to act as he pleases, simply because he has been elected “democratically,” democracy is not much different from dictatorship; in a country that insists on imposing democracy on other nations across the globe by using military force, democracy is not acceptable. Hadzialic, however, does not just criticize such practices, or rather malpractices. as a scientist, he proceeds methodologically, defining the problem, identifying the causes, explaining the consequences, and then proposing well-thought-out solutions. This is the approach he consistently uses in every single essay in this book. For example, in his essay about terrorism, Hadzialic begins the first step, defining the problem. He rejects the allegation that terrorism is linked with religion, describing it as “non-intellectual and degrading.” Then he identifies the causes, contending that terrorism has emerged, among other reasons, as a result of creating “ghettos” and exporting both inadequate “democracy” and neo-liberalism to the states that are claimed to breed terrorism. Finally, he proposes a solution consisting of several steps whose purpose is to analyze and understand terrorism as it really is, and then suggests forming a “global organization that will fight against terrorism not on a basis of individual events in individual states, but on the basis of global events within all states.” Hadzialic is distinguished from many other writers who treat similar subjects in more ways than one. First, he uses an analytical approach that moves logically from premises to conclusions. Secondly, his writing is characterized by an unusual clarity of vision. Thus, he communicates his ideas in a simple, step-by-step manner, leading his readers toward a common purpose. Moreover, he demonstrates both patience and persistence. Although each of his essays tackles a single topic, they all are directed towards a common goal, namely, effecting reform in our social, political and economic systems. It is worth noting that enduring values necessary to achieve this goal, such as freedom, democracy, ethics, and many more, keep recurring in his essays in various contexts. Similarly, his aversion to corruption, manipulation, cruelty, fundamentalism, chauvinism, and so on, is repeatedly voiced in his works. More significantly, these qualities are fortified with a genuine humanitarian conviction. For Hadzialic’s writing springs from a deep concern for humanity, and an equally deep sense of ethical responsibility. Thus, in his essay “Media Ethics Essence Of Professional Journalism,” he emphasizes that ethics is neither “just a matter of codes of conduct” nor “a matter of rules to be followed,” but rather a matter of “principles concerning the rights and wrongs of human conduct, principles that ... can be applied objectively and impartially.” In this context, he lists six criteria that undserlie “any kind of ethical system,” namely, “freedom, democracy, truth, objectivity, honesty and privacy.” Hadzialic deserves to have a chair among contemporary European social reformers. His World As Global Sin comes to assert this statement. The topics treated in the book have one thing in common; they are universal issues that we all need to come to grips with if we are truly concerned about our life, our environmemnt, our health, our economy, our freedom, our present and future, and the present and future of our children and grandchildren. As we read the book, we should take a look at our current life and ask ourselves whether it is the kind of life we aspire to have? If not, what should be done? And then we will know that the author has gifted us with a torch that can help us see things around us more clearly amidst the darkness prevaling in our world, and perhaps we will also realize that the time the author has invested in writing it and the time we invest in reading it has not been wasted.