Özlem Cekic Featured in Article for Mirror UK

Overcoming Hate Through Dialogue

Confronting Prejudice, Racism, and Bigotry with Conversation—and Coffee

Learn how to change the world—and change your life. We’ve all heard the expression “be the change you want to see in the world.” But how do you actually do that?

When Özlem Cekic became the first Muslim MP in the Danish Parliament, her email inbox was inundated with hate mail and threats, and her gut reaction was to delete and ignore each abusive message. But eventually, she decided to take a risk. She started replying to each message and inviting the senders to meet and engage in dialogue over coffee. And with time, understanding, and patience, she began to make a difference, both in the lives of those who hated her before even meeting her, and in her own life.