Iraqi Christians and Muslims live side by side in Detroit

[The Straight Story]

Exactly ten years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, Christians and Muslims of Iraqi origin in Detroit, Michigan have overcome a history of sectarian tensions.

Ten years after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the human cost of the war remains difficult to measure, even after numerous studies into the matter. Besides the casualties – both civilian and military – tens of thousands of people have been permanently disabled and emotionally scarred, while millions of Iraqis have been forced into exile. As many as 80,000 Iraqi refugees fled to the US in the wake of the war.

“My Beloved Enemy” is a web documentary series that focuses on real people, both Iraqi and American, whose lives have been forever changed by the conflict.

In this episode, the third in a five-part series, Imam Hassan Qazwini and Father Anthony Kathawa share their views on their communities' newly-found peace and interfaith dialogue.

Iraqi-born Hassan Qazwini is the Shia Imam of the biggest Islamic center in the United States. Father Anthony Kathawa is the first American-born Chaldean priest ordained in the Eastern diocese.

Video at link:

http://www.france24.com/en/20130404-my-beloved-enemy-detroit-michigan-christians-muslims-iraq-webdocumentary

[treestar]

1. Something about the US makes it easier

It is so diverse, that suddenly one's fellow Iraqi is not so different any more.

I remember a program that brought Irish teens from both sides of the conflict to meet in the US. They got along and talked.