I recently read a book called "Three Cups of Tea" about a man named Greg Mortenson and his life's work to bring education to the Middle East. This book message has dramatically altered my perception of the this region. I used to believe that theirs was a culture and the West was a separate culture, and we as Americans know too little and are too different to be able to made a difference over there.

I was wrong.

Three Cups of Tea is a book that everyone should read. It describes the horrible ways that education is mistreated, done incorrectly, or completely neglected in isolated and impoverished areas of the Middle East--especially Pakistan/Afghanistan. The book basically states that ignorance and hopelessness make people incredibly susceptible to being brainwashed by extremist militants--especially the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Greg Mortenson is the leader of an organization that builds and supports secular schools in this region to give people hope for a better future. In my opinion, he is a true American hero. When I was listening to TriforceBun's song for the PW Musical: "Justice for All," this particular part made me think of the work he's doing:

I fight for truth, I fight for justice
I fight for everyone to have a fair chance
...
I fight for men, I fight for women
I fight for anyone who aims to do what's right
So I picked this occupation; a dedication to salvation
for society, I fight

If you want to learn more about how Americans really can help bring about peace in the Middle East, you should read this book: "Three Cups of Tea."

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Sounds like a good book, I should try to find it sometime.

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Definitely! The whole book is sort of a biography, but there are some incredible stories inside.

Antelopgrl.. (off topic) you know, when I was working on songs for the PW musical, I think it was you who put up all those tracks on youtube, wasn't it? I listened to your tracks of the AA detention center theme and Classroom Trial Reminiscence to try to learn them better to use them a bit in a couple of the songs. Thanks!

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Yep, that was me.
I'm glad you like what I have uploaded, it's nice to know that what I do is helpful in some way.

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But anyway.. back on topic. Here's a quote from the book that summarizes his idea much better than I did in my first post. This is a quote from Kevin Fedarko of Parade Magazine on April 6, 2003:

"As the U.S. confronts Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, Greg Mortenson, 45, is quietly waging his own campaign against Islamic fundamentalists, who often recruit members through religious schools called madrassas. Mortenson's approach hinges on a simple idea: that by building secular schools and helping to promote education--particularly for girls--in the world's most volatile war zone, support for the Taliban and other extremist sects eventually will dry up."

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Sounds interesting, but I think this thread is in the wrong board. :/

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Sounds interesting, but I think this thread is in the wrong board. :/

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