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How to Be a Diplomat
September 29, 2017
How to be a diplomat-- changing hearts and minds on the world stage, or in a small Midwestern town named after a Muslim military hero.
Changing the World...from the 'Cheap Seats' September 29, 2017

When President Trump gave his bombastic first speech to the United Nations a couple of weeks ago, a small but mighty group was watching - rabbis, imams, nuns and other faith leaders.  Even though they sit in what you might call the “cheap seats," their very existence sends a powerful moral message. Many of them call it a "ministry of presence." From January 2016.


Sally Dunne, former UN representative with the Loretto Community 
Daniel PerellUN representative with the Baha'i International Community
Meet Frederique and Brian, Iowa's Reluctant Cultural Ambassadors September 29, 2017
Welcome to Elkader, Iowa, population: 1,273. It's surrounded by corn and soybean fields and looks like a lot of towns in the Midwest. But it's the only one named after an Arab Muslim— a bearded military hero in a white shall, Emir Abd el Qader. The town has Anglicized his name a bit; they call themselves Elkader. Despite the homage to a hero of Islam, few residents have ever met a Muslim. So Frederique and Brian, owners of Schera's Algerian Restaurant on Main Street, have become the town's default cultural ambassadors. From January 2016.

Andrea Wenzel reported this story, which first aired on PRI's The World in 2012.


Emir Abd el Qader, Sufi jihadist and official muse of Elkader, Iowa.
Religious Freedom Ambassador David Saperstein September 29, 2017
Rabbi Saperstein was appointed by President Barack Obama as America's Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, making him the first non-Christian in that role. In his final days in office, he joined us in the studio to talk about why people around the world are routinely harassed and killed because of their faith, and to reflect on what drew him to the job. “Jews have been the quintessential victims of religious persecution in the world,” he told us. “And we know what evil can be done when good people stand by and watch the innocent being victimized.” From January 2016.

Rabbi David Saperstein, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom under President Obama