by Anna Yarbrough

Created on: June 29, 2008   Last Updated: July 12, 2008

Most young adults have the ability to influence parents, teachers, professors, government leaders and others to some extent. After all, in the youth of every nation lies the nation's future! So, it's possible for US foreign policy to have a more powerful and rewarding impact in Iran if it targets their youthful, overwhelming pro-western majority of citizens. When Americans reach out to those receptive young people, begin to build a dialogue, then begin earning and giving trust, we can broaden the dialogue and continue to explore a multitude of reasons why we are far better off as friends than enemies!

A common and especially pertinent premise on which to establish and build mutual trust, is our shared belief in the same God. This common belief is likely the strongest tie we have. It is also one of the strongest ties among Believers of every nation. So, we must simultaneously nurture and maintain our close, trusting relationship with the Jews and others who worship the same God.

We must also acknowledge that one major obstacle to overcome while doing so is that the people of Jewish faith may feel threatened by our overtures to the Iranians since Iranian leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recently stated that he would like to wipe them off the face of the earth. Who wouldn't be threatened by such remarks?

In order to overcome such a major obstacle, we must seek to understand the fragile relationships so vital to world success today, one must look back in history and have some understanding of the root of the controversy between Jews and Muslims. The following is offerred simply as a backdrop against which today's issues materialize rather than as a thorough study of the subject.

Initially, all children of God were unified as members of God's family through the Adamic and Noahic Covenants. Rather than loving one another, as God had instructed through His Word, there was among the children much bickering, controversy, and even anarchy as they began behaving as wannabe Gods instead of followers of God's will. So, to teach them a lesson, at the tower of Babel (in modern day Iraq), God took from them the most unifying aspect of their culture - their common language, creating many languages instead.

Sadly, the children still didn't get it. Failing to comprehend the lesson, the children went on with their idolatry to such an extent that God chose to create through Abraham an altogether new covenant people, as outlined in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. The descendants

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