McGill TribuneOMEQ is a student club that seeks to provide an on-campus forum for dialogue on Israel and Palestine. This brief description, however, does not tell the full story, nor does it address the critical issues that must be raised: what does dialogue mean? How do we do it? Aren’t there enough Israel and Palestine groups on campus?
Dialogue can mean different things to different people. Many are hesitant to approach it. Some see it as an excuse to do nothing substantive. Some see it as a waste of time. I respectfully disagree. Dialogue is about listening to another human being. Through this lens, dialogue can be considered an end unto itself; it allows you to gain an incredibly valuable understanding of what another person thinks, and why they think it. Without actually speaking to and genuinely listening to others, it becomes all too easy to stereotype them and make cookie cutter assumptions about their opinions.
The integral component of this is dialogue as a whole is not an end unto itself. When the component of dialogue described above is construed as the whole, many are driven away, concluding that dialogue is a waste of time.
Yet, this position does not take into account the necessity of dialogue initiatives in connection with the broader world. Dialogue does not exist in a vacuum. Those who engage in dialogue are bound to be those who care about the issue at hand (in this case, Israel/Palestine). Those who care about the issue will take action, both public and private. Dialogue in general, and that which takes place in OMEQ specifically, is in no way mutually exclusive with activism or debate. Rather, these are for other forums, some of which already exist. OMEQ does not seek to replace Students for Palestinian Human Rights, Hillel, or any other politically active Israel/Palestine group on campus. Rather, OMEQ intends to provide a space for respectful engagement between those who might otherwise never have a discussion with one another. In doing so, OMEQ aims to empower participants to act responsibly and purposefully.
To this end, we organize frequent events and discussions. In the past, we have hosted speakers (such as Daniel Levy and Amjad Atallah from the Middle East Task Force of the New American Foundation) to spark conversation, held film screenings followed by discussions (including various short films from attendees of the Peace It Together program), and organized discussions pertaining to pressing current issues. And this is only the beginning. Attending university provides each of us with the unique opportunity to share the classroom and the campus with individuals and groups whose views run counter to our own. To OMEQ, this diversity is best viewed not as a source of discomfort and strife, but rather as an incredible opportunity for education, growth and action. Everyone is welcome at OMEQ events and anyone can influence its character because it’s essentially a human endeavour. It’s an attempt to listen and speak honestly and openly with others about an issue for which many carry so much passion.
Micha Stettin is VP External of OMEQ: Depth Through Dialogue
More information can be found at the OMEQ Facebook group, or at depththroughdialogue.com.
