December 2, 2009

Activist and author Gore Vidal once said: “Half of the American people never read a newspaper. Half never vote for president. One hopes it is the same half.” If you are reading this article, you are probably part of the half of people who do pay attention to world happenings and elections. But does this include local politics? Do you know who your councilmember is or when the next city election is? Do you care what goes on at City Hall?

Last week I attended a conference on interreligious dialogue in Doha, the capital of the tiny state of Qatar on the Persian Gulf. The Doha meeting was unlike the dialogue programs I’ve attended in the States, made up of hopeful people of good will but with little experience — and lots of naiveté. In Doha I joined Christians from Baghdad and Aleppo, Muslims from Hebron and Beirut, and Jews from France and Argentina who all experienced quite personally and horrifically the blunt end of religious violence.