"Salamu Aleykum." Muslims share this greeting countless times a day, a greeting similar to its language cousin, "Shalom Aleychem" used by Jews for centuries. Both mean "peace be upon you." But few regions of the world seem further away from real peace than the Middle East. Nonetheless, we remember the words of our Lord, "Blessed are the peacemakers," realizing that if we are to be true peacemakers, there is much to learn about the complex causes of conflict in the reagion. Amoung other lessons learned, one of the most important is that peace only comes with sacrifice and engagement, not with mere words or cheap grace.
