Opinion: Shared interests can promote tolerance

This brief and simple story is about how small moments can influence the transformation of an anonymous stranger or alien character into a fellow human being. It was the essential humanity of the soldier that kept Orwell's finger off the trigger. In our current debates about 'social integration' and 'community cohesion', there is probably nothing better, in relation to young people, than finding ways for diverse groups to discover their shared affiliations. We know that it is so much harder for people to express hostility to a Palestinian or a Jew or an Iranian once they have met one (or more) and preferably joined in some activity that they have in common. But you cannot leave the positive outcome to chance because it can backfire; the process has to be managed with care and purpose.