Clinton ends campaign with clear call to elect Obama
June 8, 2008 The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor
Senator Hillary Clinton ended her historic bid for the Democratic Party nomination this weekend in a speech that sought solidarity with her opponent, Senator Obama. On Saturday, she emphasized their commonalities, a refreshing about-face in a particularly divisive primary campaign. Now has come the time, Clinton indicated, for the Democratic Party to act as a “family,” to “restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.” Read more about Clinton’s effort to unify a divided party in this New York Times piece.
Also, check out selections from Senator Clinton’s speech at the Christian Science Monitor.
June 9, 2008 The Guardian – UK
Riaza Butt, The Guardian’s religious affairs correspondent, writes in the wake of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s international Islamic conference for dialogue, which, despite its intent to foster inclusive Middle East-West conversation, featured prominent clerics defending the position that “cooperation with the west…is totally untenable.” Nevertheless, Butt sees hope in the conference and its attempt to reconcile at least superficially with the Christian world. Meaningful dialogue, though, “has to be about how people of different religions can live together without antagonising each other,” much more than just a mutual understanding. Take a look at Butt’s view of the steps King Abdullah’s conference has taken towards reconciliation – and the ones left to go to achieve realistic Christian-Muslim dialogue.
June 6, 2008 NPR
Marco Werman, of NPR’s “The World,” discusses Search for Common Ground’s efforts to improve lives and encourage peace in Angola through music. Angola solta a tua voz (Angola, lift up your voice), Search’s unique music project there, brings together artists from both sides of past conflicts to create peace songs, “fusing different styles from different parts of the country and fusing different generations of artists.” Angola solta a tua voz was recorded and produced entirely in Angola in anticipation of September’s upcoming parliamentary elections, the first since 1992. Listen to Werman’s story on Search’s work in Angola, in his words a “big musical hug” between different sides of conflict.
Medvedev visit to Germany raises hope for a new era
June 5, 2008 The Christian Science Monitor
Russia’s new president, Dmitri Medvedev, today will set foot in Berlin for his first diplomatic visit to the West. Despite the often-chilly relations between Vladimir Putin and Western powers over the past several years, German officials are hoping that new “common ground on issues such as energy policy, human rights, and Kosovo” can help assuage Russia’s aggressive stance toward Europe and the United States. They argue, furthermore, that such strained political ties are the only impediment to high levels of Western investment in Russia; therefore, more cooperative discussion on human rights and other issues will be mutually economically beneficial. Take a look at the hope for collaboration inherent in Medvedev’s visit to Berlin.
Iranian filmmaker bridges deep political divides with irreverence
June 4, 2008 The Christian Science Monitor
With humor and wit, Iranian filmmaker Masoud Dehnamaki takes a non-divisive look at the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, considered sacred by many of his countrymen, in “Ekhrajiha,” (“The Outcasts”). His work is not without controversy – it implicitly challenges the “official” narrative of the war. However, its aim is to find national common ground: “The message is that this country is for everyone, with different political tendencies,” Dehnamaki claims. The result speaks for itself; one observer noted upon the film’s opening, “In the audience you had all-chadored [black-cloaked conservative] women, and bad-hejabi girls [with loose head scarves]…he brought them together, side by side.” Find out more about Dehnamaki and his film’s ability to bridge social divides in Iran.
