Jeffrey Howard
In a time when conducting difficult conversations in a civil and respectful manner is rare, Chapman University’s groundbreaking Or Initiative is stepping into the public discourse space as an example of how varying views on social issues can be discussed and challenged in ways that make learning the ultimate goal.
The Or Initiative’s campus launch was an honest, and deeply needed, conversation featuring Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, founder of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council. Alkhatib is a Palestinian-American writer, speaker, and advocate born and raised in Gaza City, which he left in 2005 as a teenage exchange student to the United States. He has lost more than 30 family members to airstrikes in the past two years and has committed his life and expertise to pressing for a new way forward to mutual security and sovereignty for Gaza and Israel.
How to Engage in Constructive Conversations About the Middle East Conflict
Many students and community members came hoping to learn more about how to engage responsibly on campus in discussions about the Middle East conflict. Alkhatib began by inviting them into complexity rather than certainty. “Please, listen to Palestinians, and I mean, Palestinians— not a Palestinian,” he said. It was the first of many moments that underscored the need to understand the Middle East conflict as multi-vocal, rather than simply having two sides.
Moderated by School of Communication Professor and Fletcher Jones Foundation Endowed Chair in Free Speech Vikki Katz, the event immediately signaled why Chapman University is committing itself not to easy narratives or polarized, performative rhetoric, but to a model of civil discourse rooted in humility, evidence, and genuine human understanding.
“Or Initiative is committed to developing learning tools and programming that support young people in developing robust and high-quality foundations of knowledge in digital environments, and to developing their civil discourse skills, to communicate with peers across different viewpoints on that shared evidence base with empathy, curiosity, and respect,” Katz said to open the discussion.
During audience Q&A, a student asked what meaningful support for Palestinians might look like. Alkhatib affirmed the sincerity of the question itself: “‘What can I do as a student that will really support the Palestinians?’ is the right question,” he noted. He described his own journey through campus activism, and more than anything, he warned students to resist absolutism: “Please never become a zealot. Always have some space for humility, for listening to something deep that is uncomfortable.”
The Role of Social Media in Civil Discourse
The conversation soon turned to social media, a realm Katz’s own research shows profoundly shapes young people’s fears of engaging face–to–face over contentious and complex social issues. Alkhatib acknowledged the role that social media has played in amplifying his own voice since October 7th, 2023. He shared that he would not be in the position of influence he is today without social media, but also offered guidance to students drowning in digital noise: “It is okay to not have an opinion on every single issue. It is okay to not post.”
Students got the chance to continue the conversation and further practice their engagement in civil discourse the following day, with a discussion in the Cross-Cultural Center with Adnan Jaber, NewGround fellow, affiliate of Realign of Palestine, and founder of the PeaceTech Affinity Group. He shared lessons from his work connecting Israelis and Palestinians through tech innovation and dialogue.
The launch event with Alkhatib embodied everything the Or Initiative stands for: rigorous engagement with evidence, nuanced inquiry, and a refusal to collapse complex human realities into simplistic narratives. It showed students that they can participate meaningfully in debate on pressing social issues without falling into the ideological traps that dominate social media, and that they can learn to listen, question, and connect with humility and courage.
