Passover is the holiday celebrating the birth of the Jewish nation, a recounting of how God delivered the ancient Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt and allowed them to prosper for thousands of years as a people.

The recent diplomatic breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran could be seen as an opportunity for the state of Israel, far from the account commonly encountered in the Western and Israeli press.

It is not just Muslims who should be offended. Everyone with an interest in dialogue and coexistence should join in the condemnation of the recent burning of a Qur’an by right-wing activists in Sweden.

The results of this month’s midterm elections in the US shocked many of America’s closest political observers both here and abroad, as the Democrats significantly outperformed expectations during a cycle when the president’s party usually suffers at the polls.

The eyes of the faithful around the world will focus on the small Arabian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on Nov. 3-4 as it hosts a historic conference entitled the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence.”

Last week marked the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, ushering in the new year. It is a time of reflection on all that has occurred over these past months and all that the future can bring, but it is also a time of self-examination that requires deep soul-searching by each individual.