“Religious beliefs and other differences among cultures can at times be the flashpoints for deep emotional and occasionally destructive reactions to one another.”

Dr. Lynn Mitchell, University of Houston

“We need to understand intersection of culture and religion. We need to understand how religion and politics mix and don't mix. Dialog is not Christians talking about Muslims to one another. It is Muslims and Christians speaking to one another. It is face to face interaction.”

David Capes, Houston Baptist University

“We have to have deliberate intent to cross over to the other cultures, and return to home. We can enter into the others' life, and return to our own home and culture, which we are familiar, stronger, better, and as more human beings. There has to be readiness for change.”

Donald Nesti, University of St. Thomas

“Pacifists are not only to be violence avoiders, but they are also peace-makers. Just peace making is required by the biblical five for justice that exclude no one.”

Paul Parker, Elmhurst College, Illinois

“There will be a clash of civilizations. Perhaps, but, with increased interaction clash is not the only possibility. With increased interaction there can be also collaboration between civilizations.”

Jill Carroll, Rice University

“We need to ask our selves as people of education and people of insight, to clarify whether there is such a conflict, there is such a difference as the cause of antagonism. We need to ask, first of all, “Who are 'we'?”

Alp Aslandogan, University of Texas at Arlington

“Interfaith dialog is people of faith commanding the mountains of improper interpretations and emotional fallacies to move out of the minds of the well intended but mistaken believers.”

Thomas Lynch, Louisiana State University

“Perceptions of conflict and perceptions of irreconcilable differences between people are often ignorance of what we have in common, in particular in the ignorance of shared history.”

Scott Alexander, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

“Without love, dialog between cultures will not generate the trust, respect, and responsibility needed to avoid conflict, because it will not result in equal treatment.”

Charles Nelson, Kean University, New Jersey

“The clash of civilization can at least be reduced to a bomb, if we can search for commonalities.”

Cynthia Lynch, Louisiana State University