Storytelling and books are among the best ways to learn about other cultures that might be drastically different to one's own, according to UK-based author Ann Morgan.
In 2012, Morgan famously set out to read one book from each of the world's 196 recognised countries, which she says enabled her to better understand people from radically different backgrounds and upbringings.
"I thought of myself as a very cultured and cosmopolitan person, but my book shelf told a different story. I only read British or North American authors," she recalls.
More here: Structured lessons vital, says Abbot"What the project showed me and has stayed with me...pointed to a very important truth. Storytelling and sharing stories is a universal human instinct," she added. "In one way or another, people all over the planet do this."
Stories, she noted, are inherently non-threatening, allowing one to learn about another culture without the sometimes frightening experience of being face to face.
"We are able to put on something of the mindset of the storyteller, which enables us to look at the world through different eyes," she noted. "We come to understand something of their perspective."
Morgan added that sharing stories is more important than ever, given the societal upheavals, intolerance and extremist ideologies that the world is currently suffering from.
"If people aren't listened to, then there is no dialogue and no possibility of progressing and moving forward," she said. "Sharing stories across cultures helps combat this."
No victory over militants until ideology is crushedExperts speaking at the event noted that extremist groups will continue to flourish as long as they continue to implant their radical ideas in the minds of young people.
Dr Jawad Anani, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, said that militant groups such as Daesh or Al Qaeda will only be truly finished if their ideologies are wiped out, even if they are defeated on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria.
"It won't be so easy. It doesn't end when they withdraw from those regions," he said. "If the ideology is not rooted out, it constitutes the weeds of poisonous negative knowledge that will eventually poison the ideas and minds of our youngsters and societies."
Also read: Arabs read 35 hours a year, study revealedTheodore Kattouf, a former US ambassador to the UAE and Syria, noted that - while the West can help its allies in the region - only Arabs can address the issues in Arab societies that have led to the rise of militant groups.
"It's not for Westerners, or people from other countries, to combat these ideologies," he said. "It's for the leaders and institutions of the people of the Middle East."
The key, Kattouf noted, is the careful and thorough education of the region's youth.
"A lot of it starts with education, and that starts with teachers," he said. "If you don't have well-trained teachers, you won't have well-educated students."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com