Acceptance, not tolerance

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.