Duke should continue community-building efforts

Tuesday night's screening of "Obsession: Islam's War against the West" certainly did a lot to make everyone worry even more than we already do about Islamic terrorists. The event brings back memories of the bad old days of Fall 2004, when the tumult over the presence of the Palestinian Solidarity Movement conference made it hard for Jewish and Muslim and Arab students even to say "hello" to one another in class.

These days, a lot has changed, thanks to the efforts of students intent on reconciliation. Last Fall, student groups teamed up for a charity project called "Piece Or Pieces," for which Muslim and Arab students collected funds to rebuild war-afflicted areas in northern Israel, while Jewish students helped rebuild in southern Lebanon.

Last Saturday's appearance of the Muslim comedy troupe Axis of Evil was co-sponsored by Duke Friends of Israel. The Interfaith Dialogue Project has brought students of all faiths together to shatter stereotypes and do service work together. Professor Bruce Lawrence taught a class last semester affirming strong pluralistic trends in Islam. Next Monday night at the Freeman center, three theologians of renown, Archbishop Elias Chacour, Imam Mohamad Arafat and Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom, will meet to discuss the theological roads to peace.

Generating fear is easy; engendering trust is difficult. This community has shown itself capable of doing the more difficult work. Let's continue the hard work of building trust.

Rabbi Michael Goldman

Freeman Center for Jewish Life