Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer, and Gideon Yago, a former MTV news correspondent, stressed the importance of addressing the crisis in the Middle East to UW-Madison students at the Memorial Union Tuesday evening.
Aslan and Yago are currently touring college campuses to speak on the intersection of faith, politics and society in the Middle East.
It fundamentally comes down to the War on Terror and the demand on campus for people to hear different perspectives, different stories, different experiences of what the war actually is,"" Yago said.
Aslan and Yago both answered audience questions, first from a moderator, then from members of the audience. While Aslan and Yago came from similar philosophical backgrounds, they were able to offer differing viewpoints on some of the questions.
""We enjoy doing this together,"" Aslan said of touring with Yago. ""We complement each other very well and we're the best of friends.""
Yago and Aslan agreed the current events in the Middle East are a serious and pending problem.
According to Yago, students - the future political, religious and social leaders - will be the ones faced with the consequences.
Aslan said awareness is much more important than students give it credit for.
""You can't have action without understanding,"" Aslan said. ""If nothing else, when you walk away today and do nothing, at least you have broadened your perspective. You were given the opportunity to hear that everything you hear in the media may not be correct.""
According to Aslan, the United States is stuck in a war it cannot continue but cannot leave.
Yago said regardless of this unyielding U.S. diplomacy, he still has expectations for the future.
""I don't think war is the natural pose of humanity '¦ [but] peace is something you have to create,"" Yago said. ""A globalized perspective '¦ is the only hope we have.""
Aslan agreed.
""More than anything else that university students can learn is how to be global citizens,"" Aslan said. ""That in and of itself portends a very positive future for us.
