| Background:
The twentieth century will go down in the history books as one of the most violent in history. It was riddled with war and injustice from World War I, to World War II, Vietnam, Korea, the Persian Gulf War, etc. the list goes on and on. Many of these conflicts have their roots in intolerance, an "unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect contrary
opinions or beliefs, persons of different races or backgrounds" (Webster's Dictionary). For example, Hitler led the people of Germany in a war against people of Jewish faith and ethnicity. Over 6 million people were killed in the concentration camps during WWII as a result of this war.
Today, intolerance is rampant on regional, national and international scales. Hate language and actions seem to be an common occurrence in communities around the world. People are ridiculed because of their sexual identities, race, religion and socioeconomic status-anything that makes them different. In the wake of the terrorist attacks, the American public seems to be suspicious, and at times intolerant, of Islamic peoples. In the Netherlands, Slobodan Milosevic, the former president of Yugoslavia, is being tried in international court for "crimes against humanity." During the 1990's he led the Serb (Eastern Orthodox Christian) population of Yugoslavia in an effort to deport and murder the Albanian (Muslim) population in Kosovo. Northern Ireland is home to the conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics. Finally, in the Middle East, Jewish, Muslim and Christian people have been fighting over the holy city of Jerusalem for years, with tension still mounting.
We are at the dawn of a new century. Perhaps the 21st century will be the century of tolerance, and peace.
|
