Debate not Da battle

Koranic duels ease terror: "In Yemen, a theological contest cools Al Qaeda hotbed."
What a great story. It seems that sitting down with terrorists and listening to their view of Islam that justifies terrorism, followed by showing them the parts or the Koran that teach tolerance and nonviolence, actually converts terrorists into pro-democracy, freedom-loving, peaceful people. This put in the context of this week's Israeli-Palestinian advancements leaves me very optimistic about peace in our world.

The dialogue in Yemen reminds me very much of another man who has worked to convert those who hate by first trying to understand them. Daryl Davis, who tells his story in Klan-Destine Relationships: A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan, met some Klan members after performing Jazz piano. He decides to meet more members and attempts to understand their hatred. To make a long story short, it turns out that Davis, through conversation and mutual understanding, has convinced several Klan members to quit the KKK.

It just goes to show that even the most evil forms of hate are just a result of a lack of understanding.