Conflict and Cultural Diversity
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Prepare Ahead of Time

Gather news items of religious intolerance and cultural biases. For example, find news reports of the French parliament's pending law banning Muslim women and girls from wearing the head scarf in public schools.

Gather news items about warring factions trying to work for peace at the grass-roots level: Israelis and Palestinians, Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, Serbs, Croats and Muslims in the former Yugoslavia and so on.

You might want to assign these tasks as research homework and have the participants gather the information and bring it to the session.

Warming Up

Have each participant give his or her oral report on the origins and history of the now-Christian traditions.

Point out that the variety of cultures in the world is often a source of misunderstanding, discrimination, persecution and death.

Working in Pairs or Groups of Three

Distribute the news items. Have each pair or group (a) read the item, (b) summarize the issue, (c) explain why each side thinks/feels/acts as it is does in the situation, (d) brainstorm possible ways in which each side can learn about and come to respect the cultural position of the other side.

Together As A Group

Allow each pair/group to report its findings to the whole group.