Arab News Op-Eds

Change is happening fast in Turkey, and countries from Europe to the Middle East and the US are taking note.

Indonesia is more than just the beaches of Bali, skyscrapers of Jakarta or coffee and clove fields of Java. It is also the fourth most-populous nation in the world, the home to more Muslims than any other country and a historic beacon of religious tolerance.

Last October, the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue decided to relocate from Vienna to Lisbon. The reasons why bear powerful lessons for us all.

The brazen missile attack on Abu Dhabi last week served as a reminder to the world that the Houthis pose a threat not just to the people of Yemen, but also to the broader stability of the Middle East and beyond. It is really a reminder no one should have needed.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US on Monday, let us recall the words of this peerless and universal civil rights leader, who emphasized that “our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation.”

Much has been made in recent months about a weakened US, humbled by its setbacks in Afghanistan and distracted by internal turmoil, abandoning its allies in the Arab world, and leaving behind a region mired in confusion and turmoil.

In an era of unprecedented Jewish-Muslim breakthroughs, it takes a lot to surprise. Yet President Ilham Aliyev did just that last week when I met him in Baku, taking several groundbreaking actions to foster the long-term success of Azerbaijan’s Jewish community — the largest in the Muslim world — and elevate his country’s efforts to fight international anti-Semitism.

The US holiday season is defined by tradition, gratitude and family. It is a period to reflect on the blessings of life, celebrate communally with our neighbors, and spread the gifts of love and charity. No other time of year reminds us so strongly of our common faith and common fate.

Five years ago, the very notion of Yeshiva University, the pre-eminent institution of higher Jewish learning in the US, honoring the secretary general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League would have been met with stupefaction or downright indignation.

Nelson Mandela, one of the true heroes of our modern age, declared only a few years after his long incarceration ended: “Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”