Modeling Civil Dialogue about Complex Issues

On March 20, two longtime faculty experts-both deeply committed to the AU community-gathered to discuss the challenges of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate in an academic environment.

Pamela Nadell, director of AU's Jewish studies program, and Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Abdul Aziz Said Chair in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, came to the table with different worldviews, but each was willing to engage with the other over hard questions related the ongoing Israel-Hamas War-even when they disagreed.

"What bridges the gap between us is for us to see this as a problem that we have to constructively deal with [while] maintaining a sense of community," Abu-Nimer said. "I am not going to agree with her…interpretation, as she's not going to agree with [mine]."

The conversation was an important step in building a campus community where hate can't thrive-and one that Nadell and Abu-Nimer hope inspires more dialogue in residence halls, classrooms, and offices across campus.

About 50 people gathered in person and online for the 90-minute conversation sponsored by AU's Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). Nadell and Abu-Nimer were joined by designer and cultural architect Daniel Alejandro Leon-Davis, SIS/BA '13, and H.D. Hunter, an author and Atlanta-based community organizer.

"We have to develop the skills to use our voices without giving comfort to bad actors. We must rediscover what it means to accept dialogue and even argument in good faith," said School of Public Affairs professor Brian Hughes, cofounder, and associate director of PERIL, who moderated the discussion. "That means learning how to stay with the trouble together to share that pain and that discomfort as we work toward understanding across difference."

During the event, Nadell, who is Jewish, and Abu-Nimer, who is Palestinian, talked about the history of conflict in Israel and the war that began last fall.

Even before the events of October 7, 2023, Nadell said that many Jewish Americans carry the memory of antisemitic violence and the long shadow of the Holocaust. Those traumas inform the experiences of Jewish Americans in this moment.

"Jews on campus-and honestly, Jews across America-do not feel safe," Nadell said. She cited a 2023 study from the American Jewish Committee that found 63 percent of American Jews felt less safe than the year before-a 22 percent jump from 2022.

Abu-Nimer found common ground with Nadell, in that they both agree that it's the duty of the entire campus community to fight antisemitism. But he also acknowledged that many with connections to Palestine are feeling "excluded, marginalized," and "neglected" while their family and friends in Gaza are facing a dire humanitarian crisis. Many, Abu-Nimer said, are looking for validation that their own circumstances and pain matter too.

"The first thing we need to do to reach Palestinians and pro-Palestinian groups is to recognize that Palestinians are humans," Abu-Nimer said. "This is about humanity. It's about people recognizing Palestinian life is equal to Jewish life, to Israeli life."

By having more discussions like the one they modeled, Abu-Nimer and Nadell agreed that groups seemingly at odds can engage in civil dialogue to foster understanding and fortify their community against hate.

"This is the first time since October 7 I've actually sat on a panel like this," Abu-Nimer said. "I think it's time for the AU community to listen."

"We need to talk about [our differences] now," Nadell said. "That's actually, for me, one of the most powerful themes that's come out of this conversation."

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