Mecca Diaries

Islamophobia and Homophobia – NYTimes.com. So why have conservative Christians gotten less homophobic? Putnam and Campbell favor the “bridging” model. The idea is that tolerance is largely a question of getting to know people. If, say, your work brings you in touch with gay people or Muslims — and especially if your relationship with them is collaborative — this can brighten your attitude toward the whole tribe they’re part of. And if this broader tolerance requires ignoring or reinterpreting certain scriptures, so be it; the meaning of scripture is shaped by social relations.

Reason #997 I love this city. This sort of space sharing is more common than I think people realize. A Struggling Bronx Synagogue Finds Free Housing—in a Mosque – Tablet Magazine. Near the corner of Westchester Avenue and Pugsley Street in Parkchester, just off the elevated tracks of the No. 6 train, Yaakov Wayne Baumann stood outside a graffiti-covered storefront on a chilly Saturday morning. Suited up in a black overcoat with a matching wide-brimmed black fedora, the thickly bearded 42-year-old chatted with elderly congregants as they entered the building for Shabbat service.  The only unusual detail: This synagogue is…

About 1001cgstories.org | 1001 Stories of Common Ground. Designed for people who believe that changing the world begins with positive change at the interpersonal level, users are invited to add their story to the many others that exist around the globe. While the site is open to all, it is especially for those in the Arab world, whose stories of positive change are often underrepresented in media. A single story has the ability to change attitudes and behaviour, dispelling the myth that the world is black and white or that stereotypes define people or actions. If one story has such…