Pluralism vs Tolerance

Pluralism vs Tolerance 

What:

I grew up in Nigeria, a country on the west coast of Africa. Like many other African countries, Nigeria is home to different ethnic groups, cultures and religion. How did I cope with this diversity? I tolerated. I would rather say that I was taught to tolerate. Although I had my personal bias against other ethnic groups and religions, I never voiced out this bias. I would occasionally hear my parents talk about how "wicked" certain tribes were and why these tribes should never be trusted. But like me, my parents would never openly voice out their beliefs. I ended up growing up to believe my ethnic group were the "good guys" and victims who were oppressed by the other ethnic groups. Before I met someone from a different ethnic group, I developed a negative preconception against him/her. I was introduced to the concept of global citizenship when I began studying at the United States. Since then, I have striven to understand cultural differences. This week, I learned about pluralism. I find "pluralism" very interesting because it involves deeply understanding differences through active engagement. What stuck out to me was how the concept of pluralism was greatly connected to the book "I Am Malala" and reading on human rights.

So What:
How does all this relate to me? One of the greatest problem in my home country , Nigeria, is religious  and ethnic conflict. Since our independence, Muslims and Christians hardly get along. The presence of different ethnic groups and languages also compounded the problem. Like I mentioned earlier, I had prejudice against other religious and ethnic groups before I even interacted with them. When I listened to the audio book "I Am Malala", I was again reminded that everyone is searching for basic human rights and peace. In the book, Malala describes her life in Pakistan during the reign of the Taliban. She also describes her father's life before she was born. From the book, I was exposed to a story of a Muslim (Malala) from her own perspective. This was greatly tied to pluralism as I am no longer seeking to tolerate but to understand and coexist with different religions and opinions. What exactly is pluralism? Pluralism involves deeply understanding differences through interaction. Pluralism isn't tolerance. Unlike tolerance, pluralism involves active engagement between two different sides with the major aim of peacefully coexisting. The book, I Am Malala was also strongly connected to human rights as all Malala discussed in the book were basic human rights she deserved. I am beginning to view pluralism as a backbone of human rights. In the global competency rubric, I now seek to achieve level 3 in knowledge and understanding. Although I believe I could initiate deeper questions about different cultures (level 3), I always try to avoid deep questions about other religions.

Now What: 
How do I plan to deeply understand religious differences? I plan to attend events provided by the Muslim Students Association such as the Hijab Awareness day and the Islam Awareness Day. I also hope to find a muslim friend who feels comfortable in discussing religious differences. I strongly believe that religious and ethnic understanding is necessary for a stable society. If I could create a change in Nigeria, I would start by introducing intercultural classes into our educational system to promote unity among the different cultures and religions.