Transcript for Speaker Queen Noor

[Applause and music]

Thank you Jihan.

Her Majesty Queen Noor. Jordan.

I love the way your dream is coming true today

and we all love you.

[Applause]

I've been blessed with a story that spans different worlds.

I am an Arab-American by birth.

Granddaughter of Orthodox Christian Arab immigrants to the United States.

I was raised in a Judeo-Christian society

studied Buddhism, and then I embraced Islam.

and married a Hashemite, a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed

peace be upon him.

Like so many others who have multiple identities

I sometimes find myself floating in the gulf of

cultural misunderstanding that separates these worlds.

And my heart aches when such misunderstanding fuels

the cycle of violence, counter-violence, and retribution

tears apart the lives of people living in conflict regions.

We hear so often about the combatants in conflict zones

and so little of the peacemakers.

All too rarely seen are the images of courageous peace-building efforts

and the inspiring examples of social action

that I have witnessed over the decades throughout the world.

Palestinian and Israeli teenagers

advocating leaders for justice and peace.

Women leading reconciliation efforts in Bosnia, Rwanda, Liberia.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims

compassionately asserting their common humanity

and shared spiritual values in the face of dangerous extremism

in their communities.

Islam comes from the word peace, and our holy Koran instructs us

"Oh mankind, we created you from a single soul, male and female

and made you into nations and tribes

so that you may come to know one another."

These next films show this universal wisdom put to practice.

They are stories about storytelling, about sharing

about people once divided coming to know one another

finding solace and courage through dialog

and compassion through interaction.

Here now, is In Counterpoint.