Do you think culture is equally successful at changing opinions and countering stereotypes or shattering generalisations?
Absolutely, you’re exactly right. I do firmly— passionately—believe in the connectivity of culture. In my view, through culture’s wide reach and its ability to touch our emotions deeply, it is possible to use it to create openings for transformations in thinking to take place. And hopefully, these transformations will be very specific and concrete in nature, because when this is the case they can help the world work together in a positive, productive manner. Turning to the topic of the situation of women in Islam, you have said that one of the key problems in this area is having a dialogue with—as you referred to them—‘tribalistic men’ and bringing them to change their point of view. How likely do you think successful communication with this particular group is? I think the way I described them was ‘hard-core tribalised men’, but I would now like to call them ‘hard-core, testosterone driven, Neanderthal men, who are intractable in their position’! [Laughs]. But honestly, what bothers m
