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Them and Us
Today, on the sixth anniversary of 9/11, as we take stock of our War on Terror at home and abroad, we continue to ask ourselves what more needs to be done to make our world a safer, more peaceful place.
On tonight's show, Akbar Ahmed, a leading Islamic scholar and politician, provides an answer. He describes a trip he took through the Middle East with a group of American college students, and the lessons he learned as a result. Among these was the realization that it is not just a good idea for Americans to learn about Islam, it is imperative. Ahmed's field trip was an educational mission, and likewise an opportunity to show the Muslims they encountered that Americans share many of the same values and ideals. In an atmosphere of dialogue and mutual interest, he discovered, Americans and Arabs can get along just fine.
As convincing as Mr. Ahmed is, his story still seems pretty far from anything any of us can do in our everyday lives. For those of us who don't see a trip to Pakistan in their near future, this week's podcast of PRI's This American Life has another suggestion. It tells the story of an Iraq war veteran who, in an attempt to overcome his post-traumatic stress, joins the Muslim students association at his university. The results are inspiring, particularly on this sad anniversary, and provide some light at the end of an otherwise depressingly dark tunnel.