A drive to help others forgive

In Bloomington, Ind., Namaste-Sacred Arts is sponsoring a series of dialogues both in the community and among women inmates in the county jail.

"The concept is to promote love in the community as a real force for change," says coordinator Lisa-Marie Napoli, who has a background in conflict management.

The second PBS documentary, "The Power of Forgiveness," airs later this spring. The third, "Unforgivable?," exploring forgiveness even in the most tragic of circumstances, will air in 2008.

Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif., plans two major events this semester associated with the films. In March, an intergenerational dialogue involving middle school students, college undergraduates, and "lifelong learners" will engage the groups in challenging and expanding the perceptions of love held by the other age groups.

A second event focusing on forgiveness and reconciliation will involve a Holocaust survivor who has been in contact with a perpetrator at one of the World War II concentration camps.

Ben Frymer, assistant professor of sociology at the university, is also conducting a seminar on "Love and Desire" that encourages students to study love in action in the broader community.

"It's a great opportunity to expand the ideas and beliefs that young people have about love," Professor Frymer says, "especially in this society where they're bombarded with the media message that romantic love is most important."

Khamisa, called upon to forgive in the most challenging of circumstances, was able to do so, he explains, because of the strong spiritual element of his upbringing.

"I'm a Sufi Muslim," he says, "like the poet Rumi, and one of the gifts of the Ismaili order than I belong to is the equal emphasis on spiritual and material aspects of life. It's important to develop core values early on, so if tragedy comes, you can respond without retaliation.

"The tendency in our culture is if we are sad or depressed to go get some Prozac," he adds, "but forgiveness is much better than Prozac because it heals."

Last Sunday was the 12th anniversary of Tariq's death, and his father is now a sought-after speaker on forgiveness in corporate and other venues as well as in schools. He and Felix have won numerous awards.

A 10-month-long study has shown that their "Violence Impact Forum" is effective in changing attitudes, particularly among kids who are most at risk for aggressive behavior.

Six public television stations have community outreach projects tied to the documentaries, and KETC in St. Louis, Mo., has designed an ambitious three-year project to serve part of its community that has known great tragedy. The city is now home to the largest community of Bosnians outside of Bosnia itself. [ Editor's note: The original version misnamed the St. Louis television station.]

"For a group of people who have gone through a war, the issues of love and forgiveness may have a different meaning than to those of us who have a calm daily life," says Amy Shaw, vice president of education for KETC-TV. They see the project as an opportunity to build bridges among the Bosnian refugees, who may once have been enemies, as well as between Bosnians and the native St. Louis community.

"Five years ago there were issues at one of the high schools about the Bosnian influx," Ms. Shaw explains. "This year, a Bosnian student is class president and homecoming queen. We see this as a time both communities are ready to get together."

The TV station has worked with a planning coalition of people from both groups, identified "neutral locations" for dialogues, subtitled the documentary, and translated promotional materials into the Bosnian language.

"Starting on Feb. 13, we'll hold three different sets of four conversations each, based on the clips," says Sonya Berkbigler, education project coordinator.

The Campaign for Love and Forgiveness is open to anyone who wishes to participate, Ms. Olivanti says. The Fetzer Institute offers resource materials on its website and encourages networking among the various community groups that participate. Before the second documentary airs nationally on PBS, screenings for the public will be held around the country, including at Washington National Cathedral on March 14.

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