We'd like to tell you about a very exciting new project that we are working on.
In the beginning of this year, The Center for Religious Tolerance helped to organize an extremely successful and enlightening local educational series about the conflict in Israel and Palestine. The series involved speakers, film screenings, and discussions. In the course of planning and participating in this series we realized the value of and necessity of informed dialogue in reaching common ground about the issue. In order to continue the conversation we decided to start a radio show all about the Middle East. "Let's Talk About the Middle East!" began airing in December 2016 and is on Sarasota's community radio station WSLR 96.5. (WBPV 100.1 in Bradenton).
"Let's Talk about the Middle East" focuses broadly on Middle Eastern politics, culture, religion, and history. The show aims to humanize the conflict in Israel and Palestine as well as other conflicts in the Middle East by interviewing people that have a stake in the issues. This includes Israelis, Palestinians, political activists, academics, peace-builders, religious leaders, and others. It also includes members from both sides of the political spectrum. So often, we think of ideologies as being separate from the people who hold and perpetuate those ideologies. Through speaking to people and listening carefully, we gain a more complex and humanistic understanding of issues.
The show also aims to educate people about a region that, as one of our interviewees states, has almost "too much history". The more informed people are about the realities of the region, the better chance we have of having open and productive dialogue. Finally, "Let's Talk About the Middle East" aims to highlight aspects of the region that often go ignored in the mainstream media. We do this by listening to the stories and perspectives that often go unreported; stories of peace-building, feminism, resistance, cooperation, and moderation in the Middle East.
There are links to all the episode on the sidebar on the right. We encourage our listeners to leave a comment with your thoughts. To access all of our podcasts links at any time visit our podcast webpage. As each new episode is recorded, we will share the podcast link with all of the members of our mailing list. Please support us by liking our Facebook page and sharing it with your friends!
We welcome and encourage suggestions for topics and interviewees. If you know someone who has expertise or experience with the region please email us at jmusheyev18 @ gmail.com or send us a message on Facebook!
