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“Jewish Schindler reaches goal of saving more than 1,200 Muslim and Christian refugees. 60 imams and rabbis unite in Washington to promote peace. Muslims and Christians pray for peace in Nigeria

Headlines with good news are often buried in periodicals worlwide behind front page stories of tragedy and death. The reporter’s adage, “If it bleeds, it leads,” has become standard practice in many newsrooms internationally as editors seek to satiate the interest of the public at large. After all, no one wants to read about a train that arrives on time at its proper destination. If it crashes, on the other hand, or if it is delayed by a strike, people want details.

I recall a discussion in a journalism class at the University of Southern California in which a professor said the challenge of “peace journalism” was to find stories that people find interesting. We are naturally drawn to tales that contain conflict narratives. Unfortunately, our interest in conflict narratives can lead media consumers to develop a skewed perspective when reading stories or watching broadcasts about matters of faith. Westerners may come to believe that most Muslims and Christians in Egypt, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic are at odds with one another and that most Middle Easterners support terrorism. Similarly, Muslims in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa may come to believe 

that most Christians and Jews in the West are war-hungry, immoral, and materialistic.

Yet these are only stereotypes, and as such they are wildly inaccurate as a whole. There are plenty of everyday examples of cooperation among Jews, Christians, and Muslims that go largely unnoticed. Abrahamic Alliance International is working to highlight these efforts through our web site and social media. Our web site news page now contains several years worth of media reports on cooperation between Jews, Christians, and Muslims worldwide. Our followers on Facebook and Twitter regularly enjoy such good news.

Past articles at AAi News have not only highlighted official statements made by influential rabbis, ministers, and imams, but also a wide range of inter-religious cooperation by laypersons in activities like disaster relief, sports, arts, and even comedy designed to expose stereotypes and promote camaraderie among Jews, Christians and Muslims. AAi News also features a wide range of articles about peace-building endeavors carried out by individual synagogues, churches, and mosques around the world. Many of these stories are fascinating windows on our world today, offering a much-needed corrective to the sensational conflict narratives that dominate mainstream media. Some feature dramatic reports of people inspired by their faith to risk their lives in service of others despite enormous odds.

Our readers are also inspired as they read firsthand accounts of Jews and Christians fulfilling the Biblical mandates to “love neighbors and strangers as you love yourself”, and of Muslims fulfilling the Qur’anic mandate to “do good unto parents, kin, orphans, the needy, neighbors and strangers.”

It’s time to change the narrative among believers in the God of Abraham. My hope and prayer is that AAi News will help do just that, while bringing glory to God who continues to move Abraham’s children to live in obedience to his divine commands. Check out our latest good news at www.abrahamicalliance.org/aai/news and be sure to follow AAi on www.facebook.com/abrahamicalliance and www.twitter.com/abrahamicallies.

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