Pathways for Mutual Respect Interactive

Lately I have become addicted to language learning podcasts, two of my favourites being Coffee Break French and Coffee Break Spanish, which offer dozens of lessons in 15 minute installments (short enough to enjoy with a cup of coffee). I find these are a great way to learn because podcasts offer much more flexible and self-driven learning than a rigid classroom environment. Also, the simple conversational approach is more engaging than many other “teach yourself” kinds of programs. Unfortunately, there is no Coffee Break Farsi, and I have been browsing the net for good Farsi resources with little luck.

Until I manage to find a good systematic and regularly updated podcast for learning Farsi, I will post piecemeal audio or video files that may be helpful for those of us looking to familiarize ourselves with the sound of Farsi and some of its basic words and phrases. I have included one such example in this post, which you can hear by clicking the link below. The English speaker will say the phrase he wants translated in English and the Farsi speaker then repeats the phrase in Farsi.

A little taste of Farsi…

In the last edition of the Common Ground News Service newsletter, Marzuq Halabi proposes a language of “reconciliation” as opposed to a language of “solutions” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Halabi describes how the language of “solutions”  in past attempts to resolve the conflict failed to recognize the “history, ideology, morality and self-preservation” of both Jews and Palestinians and therefore could not speak to the heart of the conflict.

Halabi cites the Oslo Accords as a failure because the agreements did nothing to articulate the real and implicit values of the conflict.   By favoring considerations for Israeli security, the Accords continued to uphold the structures of oppression.

I agree with Halabi that the Oslo Accords and the current language of a “two-state solution” fails miserably on the ground when it comes up against such intractable realities as the Second Intifada and the latest war in Gaza.  Both sides of the conflict scream for recognition of their legitimate concerns, but how can they hear one another when the language of dialogue fails to speak a language both can understand and agree upon?  Halabi states that the only language that can be recognized across the borders is one that addresses both Palestinian and Jewish values, beginning with writing the history of the land “from a common script.”

My question concerns how this kind of dialogue can tangibly begin and work its way up to the state level?

You can read Marzuq Halabi’s full article here.

The picture below was taken in the Old City, Jerusalem, with the Dome of the Rock in the background.

A friend shared this TED Talk from Chimamanda Adichie with me and I was deeply moved by some of the ideas the speaker discussed. While I would like to let the video speak for itself, I encourage viewers to consider the potential impact that a single, homogeneous narrative of Islam and the “Islamic world” (originating in Western literature and perpetuated through mass-media discourse) has had in shaping our attitudes and perceptions of the many heterogeneous cultures and traditions encompassed within Islam. I hope that this video will provide a springboard for fruitful discussion on this topic. Enjoy!

Check out our new book analysis on Hidden Iran, courtesy of Senior Intern Ian.  It’s a good intro to Iranian history and politics.  So if you’ve been hearing a lot about Iran in the news lately, but aren’t aware of a lot of the background, pick up a copy from Amazon here.

This week’s entry is from John, our Director here at Pathways.  He’s been thinking lately about what the goal behind all our efforts to get this blog rolling is.

It is sometimes intimidating to put our thoughts down on paper.  The process somehow provides accountability.  Writing confronts us with our own thought.  If we are particularly courageous, it may also give others the opportunity to critique our thinking.  Perhaps that is part of the reason it has taken me so long to write this blog entry.  It seems easier for me to hold opinions and to even talk about them than to engrave them in the electronic archive that is the internet for all who are interested to read… and potentially criticize.

At the same time, speaking the truth of my heart and mind is critical to the ability of others to actually understand me.  The most sympathetic and open-minded listener will have great difficulty understanding and respecting me if I do not dare to speak (or write) what I really think, an expression of who I actually am – even if ironic or illusory.  Who I am, of course, is not limited to the words I utter and some would argue that I cannot be truly confident that there is one “real” me.  Nonetheless, I would not expect somebody to meaningfully understand me based on a single interaction, an experience of me or my thought at one given moment in time.  So, if I don’t speak often or give people wide opportunities to experience me, how could I expect them to understand me?  If I don’t give others opportunity to understand me, do I have the right to demand that they respect me?

Come to think of it, it would seem simple for me to guard myself from critique by retreating into a sort of conflict.  I might merely ensconce myself in the exaggerated reality of not being understood … and by the inherent limitations on such comprehension.  Why speak if I will never be understood?  Why speak if those listening have no interest in really understanding?  Why speak if they don’t respect me?  I mean, how could they really understand me if they don’t first respect me so as to hear that which I am actually seeking to communicate?  Or is respect actually necessary for such understanding?

The blog at PFMRinteract is a forum for authentic and substantive communication.  Its themes follow the values and substantive focus of PFMR (www.pfmr.org).  We invite people to step out in what Adam Kahane has called talking openly, a “speaking up” which empowers us to see problems more clearly and to understand them from multiple perspectives (Kahane, Solving Tough Problems).  The counterpart to speaking, of course, is listening.  To benefit from others speaking up we need to listen openly. PFMRinteract is about creating a space where open speaking and listening happens.  Perhaps one could say that the starting place is mutual respect, the pathway is communication and collaboration, and the destination is increased trust and understanding.

I invite you to join us on this pathway.  You may find that it takes new courage, thought, or effort to contribute meaningfully to our conversation.  I would argue that it is worth it.  Your voice matters… in more ways than one.

Our entry this week comes from Pathways intern Jacque. This semester Jacque is studying in Cairo, Egypt, which provides plenty of face-to-face encounters with cultural difference.

After nearly two months in Cairo, I have begun to realize not only that there are obstacles to cultural cohesion, but also that there is one that has a particularly stagnating effect on the process. The language gap is by far the most prevalent obstacle. In order to defend their unique identity, individual cultures tend to emphasize certain characteristics that separate themselves from other cultures. Language separates those who are foreign from those who are native to a culture.

Language is a separating force but also a unifying one: the glue of a particular society of people. There is no question for me on this issue. One must learn another culture’s language, in order to participate in and better understand that culture. I have had interesting reactions from people when trying to utilize the little bit of Arabic that I claim to know. I remember a particular time, when I was in a small store in Dahab, when I bartered for a certain price on a small wallet. We went back and forth on prices for a minute before I told him 15 L.E was the highest I would go. He then told me that he would only give it to me for that price, because I asked in Arabic. In the streets when people are asking me to buy flowers or fruit from them, I’ll say no thank you in Arabic, to which their response usually is, “You speak Arabic! “ I have also had the opposite of such experiences. There have been quite a few times when I’ve asked a store owner how much something is in Arabic and they respond in English. In addition most often people approach me by speaking English, which is understandable considering my undeniable appearance as a foreigner.

In essence, the language barrier really has an effect on how much I am able to participate in and learn from the culture. Beyond communicating with people, it is almost impossible to understand all of the idiosyncrasies of a culture without knowing the language. Yet while language is an obvious obstacle it is also one that can be overcome with time.