Why Empathy is Radical in a Time of War Ft. Sulaiman Khatib w/Anita Nowak
What does it take to see our common humanity in the middle of a conflict designed to divide? In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this rare and powerful conversation with Sulaiman Khatib, a Palestinian peacebuilder, co-founder of Combatants for Peace, and author of In This Place Together.
Sulaiman shares his journey from being incarcerated as a teenager after an act of violence, to his inner transformation behind bars, shaped by hunger strikes and the spiritual teachings of Gandhi, Mandela, and Dr. King. He describes how “humanizing the other” is a daily practice that takes discipline and is tested again and again, especially in the middle of an ongoing crisis that’s marked by loss and trauma.
In this video, learn about:
The personal costs of changing one’s worldview when “sides” are deeply entrenched
Why believing “there is no military solution” is seen as provocative (or even a betrayal)
What shared humanity looks like when the stakes are life and death
Why pain is not a contest and how empathy makes space for multiple truths
This conversation is about refusing dehumanization—and daring to imagine a future where safety, freedom, and dignity belong to everyone.