re: #13 marjoriemoon

Unfortunately you were right upthread. People will believe what they choose. But don’t give up. We’ve been here before. Knowledge is Power :) #ShareDiversity lol

Diversity is the salt of life. I won’t give up, but I do appreciate your upbeat moral support—your hashtag made me grin. Thank you for that. {{mm}}. Too bad we live so far apart because we could tear up the town with the diversity stuff!

Throughout the early centuries, Jews often chose to live in Muslim lands as dhimmis instead of Christian lands because the Muslims were less hostile and allowed Jews to observe their religion. Of course, the treatment of Jews changed from time to time, and from country to country. It wasn’t exactly a rose garden, but there were both harsh Islamic rule and tolerant Islamic rule. Maimonides and his family are of the most famous of those who chose to live in Muslim countries.

Great links, thanks. I finally started reading Living Judaism, and a few weeks back I watched a good movie called The Wedding Song that someone here on LGF mentioned in passing (maybe SFZ). It was about a pair of childhood friends in Tunisia, one Muslim, one Jewish. It wasn’t a happy movie as it was set during WWII. Parts of it were difficult to watch, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The actresses were great.

It seems to me that the definitions you give for these words have been followed for 1000s of years, both the tolerant and intolerant. With the rise of the Arab Spring, I think it’s entirely possible to see an Islamic democracy. Maybe not in our lifetime (though I would hope), or our childrens. Maybe a few more generations, but there’s hope yet.

From your lips to… :o) I have hope for the Arab Spring too, despite all the cynicism & concern. They’re not all going get everything right the first time around, that’s sort of a given, but I pray that they’ll self-correct and be able to maintain the forward momentum. I think the internet has really helped in that sense; helped people connect & communicate ideas in ways (and at speeds) they couldn’t before. Of course, the bad crap also spreads faster, but what can you do? From this distance maybe just offer encouragement and pray the scales stay heavier on the side of goodness and not evil.