This 20 minute discussion on Talk of the Nation was very illustrative of Appiah's points about the conversations that need to happen and the dangers of counter-cosmopolitan thinking:
Egyptian-born writer Mona Eltahawy urges Europeans to use the vote as an impetus to address long-simmering questions about how they treats immigrants. She also argues that Muslims must examine the bigoted policies of many of their own countries.
You can listen here--it is a very interesting conversation--also because of the caller comments.
And you can read her Op Ed piece here. . .
Reading Mona Eltahway's article I found it very interesting and appreciated the fact that while she was arguing for the Muslim's right to have the minarets as a part of their prayer, she also went on to state that, "Bigotry must be condemned wherever it occurs. If majority-Muslim countries want to criticize the mistreatment of Muslims living a minority communities elsewhere, they should be prepared to withstand the same level of scrutiny regarding their own mistreatment of minorities". In this, Eltahawy is exemplifying Appiah's idea that cultures must be open to the beliefs and practices of other cultures. If people would take the time to notice the similarities they share, in this case to note that both countries are playing their role of bigotry in their separate countries in regard to the practices of others, they would realize and learn from each others differences in order to create a better and more peaceful world.
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