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24Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesiaadoption of numerous programmes of action, these illsunfortunately continue to beset our modern world. Moretroubling still, new forms of racism and racial discriminationare emerging which, in many cases, are not only tolerated butare occasionally even officially endorsed. In an unexpecteddevelopment, widespread access to the Internet coupled withtremendous technological advances in the field ofcommunications and the media have facilitated the worldwidedissemination of xenophobia and ideas of racial superiority. Inthe face of these developments, new tools are called for to tackleracism and there is a growing need for strong and concertedaction to combat problems of inequality on a global scale.This Conference therefore provides a timely opportunity forthe international community to renew its commitment to theequality, dignity and rights of all human beings. It also forcesus to confront the past and to take action to remedy thoseunresolved problems which continue to poison the present, bylaying stronger foundations now for the shaping of a more justfuture, based on the full recognition that diversity is afundamental value and a precious asset for humanity. As a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual society,Indonesia takes pride in its mosaic of peoples, which has evolvedfrom our country%u2019s long history of tolerance and solidarity, bornof a centuries-old cohabitation. However, the politicaltransformation in today%u2019s nation-building process, combinedwith the economic crisis currently besetting Indonesia, have hada significant impact on the overall situation there. In this regard,the May 1998 riots and the recent communal conflicts in someparts of the country, many of which have ethnic and religiousovertones, are an unfortunate case in point and have frequently