“What Youth Have to Say about Inter-Faith Dialogue” was the theme of an informal conversation between Citizen Dialogue Program participants Zeenat Rahman and Aalaa Abuzaakouk and fifteen students hosted by the Catholic Lay Centre in Rome.

The dialogue, organized by U.S. Embassy Vatican and U.S. Embassy Rome, included Muslim and Christian students attending Pontifical universities in Rome, as well as a group of local Muslim high school students.

After Zeenat and Aalaa began by describing their personal experiences as Muslim Americans, the participating students reacted enthusiastically, asking questions and recounting their own experiences as Muslims in Italy.

The illuminating exchange that followed lasted almost two hours and covered a diverse range of topics including the value of inter-faith dialogue and the importance of civic engagement in overcoming social marginalization.