Some people assert that monoculturalism is the only stable
form of society; multiculturalism is always a precursor to civil war. But there is a historical example of stable
multiculturalism: Monreale in 1100, a hillside community overlooking Palermo,
Sicily. Today, anyone can visit the
cathedral there built simultaneously by Catholic,
Jewish, and Islamic artisans for King Roger II. The
mosaics are breathtakingly beautiful – one should visit simply for that reason
alone – but what is even more remarkable is the juxtaposition of symbols from various
religions. How can such a beautiful structure
have been completed in only 15 years by people of different cultures? Acceptance.
Not tolerance, which implies a subtle inequality, but full acceptance,
which requires that each culture see every other culture as equally worthy.
