In my experience, most of the people I met care more about their religious and political ideologies than the value of any person and relationship.

These superficial people exist in America too. However, do they judge others in this manner because they are ignorant or hurt or because they are actually malicious individuals?

But the complicated thing is that this is not just amongst religions, but also from within the religion itself (I have a harder time getting along with Muslims who have a radical interpretation of Islam than a moderate Christian or Yezidi for example.) In this manner I am closer to those not within my faith.

I have had a similar experience. Though I do not follow a specific set of religious traditions, I tend to behave more conservatively, and as a result, I often get along better with more religious individuals who do likewise. I am closer, sometimes, to people whose spiritual beliefs differ from mine.

Also, about Yezidis (off topic), are they considered to be a type of shia muslim or are they something else entirely? I have heard people say that they practice a form of Shia Islam that contains many shamanistic traditions. I have also heard people say that they have their own, unrelated religion.

Keep in mind, people with different priorities and values cans still be friends or get along well, they just may have a harder time building and maintaining that relationship.

I agree. In my experience, most of the people I met care more about their religious and political ideologies than the value of any person and relationship. I personally have lost many childhood friends simply because of the way I think, and I met many who have also gone through this.

But the complicated thing is that this is not just amongst religions, but also from within the religion itself (I have a harder time getting along with Muslims who have a radical interpretation of Islam than a moderate Christian or Yezidi for example.) In this manner I am closer to those not within my faith.

Keep in mind, people with different priorities and values cans still be friends or get along well, they just may have a harder time building and maintaining that relationship.

True, Zoroastrians and others were left out.

Yezidis, Baha’is, and many other minority religions who continue to be discriminated against and whose members are abused are much more important to include in interfaith conferences than these three main faiths. In fact only including these largest 3 religions justifies a lot of the abuse that minorities have to face, especially in countries like Egypt and Iran where the governments do not officially recognize any religion other than these three.

I also think that interfaith conferences from now on should represent the large and growing number of agnostic, non-religious, or atheist youth who are isolated and shunned simply for their choice not to follow any specific religion – I believe they deserve space in these “interfaith” platforms. They are part of our societies and we would need how to coexist with them too.

I think our differences are also political, neither cultural nor religious. Culturally I believe Jews, Yezidis, Baha’is, Muslims and more are very similar, it’s politics, war, discrimination and historical grudges that keeps us apart. I never saw cultural and religious differences as a barrier to coexist with any religions, I’ve only seen religious elites and leaders pretend to support their politics through religious texts, but in my opinion it’s always been politics.

I realize that religion and culture are thought of as heavy duty, almost sacrosant categories, compartments that we comfortably fit ourselves into. But isn’t it more accurate to say that we are all human, and like it or not, we are forced to either share the same earth, or kill one another to defend our little piece of it?

The hope for mankind lies in breaking down some of the neat little walls we’ve erected around ourselves, and to get to know people of a different persuasion. If we dare to do that, we may find that we share much more in common, than divides us. With such an epiphany may come the inclination to cooperate with one another in bringing order to this fragile and often chaotic world.

The fact that we were born into a certain religion, and that we come to believe in this or that, or that we participate in certain cultural practices, do not make us who we are. Our connection to one another, and our willingness to bring meaning into our lives, are far more descriptive of who we are, and far more predictive of who we can become if we so choose.

Also, it could be that the Jordanian Muslim and The Palestinian Christian get along well because their religions and cultures are similar (though obviously not the same) while the Jordanian Muslim and the American one do not have as much in common because they are only similar in religion. In that case, they Jordanian and the Palestinian have more shared personal characteristics. In addition, the difference in culture could also affect how they each practice Islam – further separating the American Muslim and the Jordanian Muslim.

Interesting topic.