Dialogue that Transforms Terrorists
Here's a remarkable Christian Science Monitor story of respectful dialogue with terrorists, transforming them.
It reminds me of Kathryn Watterson's NOT BY THE SWORD: HOW THE LOVE OF A CANTOR AND HIS FAMILY TRANSFORMED A KLANSMAN.
It is significant that the Islamic scholar in the Christian Science Monitor story, Judge Hitar, listens first. He isn't just applying a "talk, not fight" formula. Respect has everything to do with his success. It is more than a method.
I wonder if the anti-terrorism officials who are now trying to understand his "method" will get it. If they did, it would transform more than terrorists.
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Steven H Johnson writes:
I sent the wonderful article from the Christian Science Monitor to a friend who grew up in Pakistan. Here are his thoughts:
"Thanks for the article. Certainly it contains one way to ending this conflict. On the other hand, most of the hard-core believers already know those soft verses and but instead they are convinced by a whole host of other verses which order the attack on unbelievers etc. Since they believe it is the very voice of God in the Koran, they take these verses as stronger verses and more important. In fact, the beginning success of Islam depended on these violent verses which led to many battlefield successes. Mohammed also later in life ordered many cold blooded killings including of a blind man who had written humorous verses about him.
"As in the Bible, the Koran is hopelessly contradictory with many violent passages. The sensitive verses were written when Mohammed was still trying to win over the Meccans. He gave this up after a number of years and was only successful after defeating them in battle."
------To which I replied: "This is very interesting, Steve. It leaves open the now increasingly fascinating question of how Judge Hitar in Yemen was/is able to have such success... "
posted by Tom Atlee on Saturday February 12 2005
updated on Saturday September 24 2005URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/tom_atlee/2005/02/12/dialogue_that_transforms_terrorists.htm
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