On Wednesday, March 30, Dr. Charles Kimball presented the Ellen S. Hurwitz Presidential Lecture on Faith, Reason and the Imagination at Albright College.
Dr. Kimball, an author, ordained Baptist minister, professor and analyst of Judeo-Christian-Muslim relations presented “The Middle East Today: What in the World is Going On … And Why?,” a discussion that pushed education as the key to dissolving stereotypes the Jewish, Christian and Muslim cultures have about one another, and potentially fomenting peace in the region.
Sophomore Helen Anderson agrees with Kimball's belief that education about the region and its peoples is vital.
"Knowing about the Middle East is crucial. It's interesting that right now we have all this news about Egypt and Libya and this whole area that, usually, some people are very confused about and now it's all coming under fire. I think it's very important to be educated about it, because if you don't, you don't know what's going on and this situation has been going on for years," Anderson said.
While the Middle East (which sometimes includes countries of North Africa in a region known as MENA) is primarily comprised of Muslim believers, Jews are not to be discounted considering their majority in Israel.
"[Israel] is such a tiny land; it's the only land for the Jews and there is a multitude of countries in the Middle East [that] are [primarily Muslim]. And they're fighting over this very holy place," Anderson said.
Christian communities also exist in the region, and the deeply rooted and influential aspects of religion also play major roles in the governments and politics of various countries.
“The stakes are very high at this point in time … there are various competing nations for the future of the nation-states in the region,” Kimball said. “Nobody has the answer. … The key is to remain hopeful, but no one can be fooled that [finding a solution] is going to be easy.”
Of a solution, junior Sean Snyder, a Jew, said, "I believe in coexistence together and working as one group because in the end, we're all human beings. It's all land, we all need it, we all need the water, let's just get along."
"As a Jew, I'm very proud, and I think the important thing is to practice tolerance and understanding of all of the religions, because they're all very similar," Anderson continued. "I've been to Israel and it gives me more of a perspective that it's a beautiful but small country and we need to protect it. I do think a two-state solution is the only solution."
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