Jerusalem, Israel
(1) What do you identify as the most divisive current issues affecting Muslim cultures and Western cultures?
In my eyes there are no real issues that divide the Muslim cultures and Western cultures. On nearly any given issue we can people from both groups that would agree and we can find people in each group that would strongly disagree. The REAL differences are not dramatic and do not go beyond what our quest for diversity can contain.
The main problems and dramatic issues are all related to the lack of genuine dialogue, and the following lack of deep mutual knowledge, between the two groups. These lead to constructing prejudices and bad stereotypes (for example: portraying Musims as terrorists or Westerners and infidels) followed by fear and even hatred.
(2) What are the issues on which Muslim and Western cultures tend to come together?
When people from Muslim and Western cultures come together for real, deep and sincere dialogue they find out that they have many many shared values. To just list a few: quest for the Divine, respect for humans, preference of peace and turning to war only as a last resort, soical values (care for the poor and needy, respect for elders, family values etc), ethics (honesty, respect for other people’s lives and property etc) etc.
Dr. Yehuda Stolov
Jerusalem, Israel
Interfaith Encounter Association
www.interfaith-encounter.org