Yesterday, I had to smile at Gert as we rode through Brussels, with a bus load of the loveliest French Muslim youths, interviewing them some, laughing a lot and taking the photographs I was tasked to take.
They were on tour and came from the organisation known as the Amitie Judeo-Musulmane de France , a group organised by Rabbi Serfaty of Ris-Orangis.
He brought together Jews, Muslims, teachers and youth on a Friendship Bus and made a tour of over 40 French cities. A project raised awareness of both cultures and created bridges by emphasising commonalities.
We were there taking photographs for the CEJI .
I left New Zealand mid-2003, bound for Istanbul and a new lif. After two years, a Belgian guy lured me into his world, deep in the heart of Europe. For a long time I was an in-process immigrant. One day we married. These days it's about photography, a little red wine and wandering ... and so the journey goes.
After WWII, there was a group of Episcopalians in Europe who devoted themselves to embracing and making peace with the Germans who had wreaked havoc on the Continent.
ReplyDeleteRemarkable endeavor. Bold. Courageous, The best example of what it means to be Christian.
It's interesting, isn't it ... and the thing is, people are people are people. When you take down the constructions that make us different, there are still differences but there are more similarities than people expect.
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