WATCH: Greg Doucette and Prof. Monika Arora debate whether obesity is a choice
Is obesity a matter of individual choice, or is it…
This film premiered at The Deep End by Vox Media, SXSW 2019
Winner: Best Short Documentary – Spotlight Film Awards
The widening political division and polarization of our world have become so personal, and volatile, that the very idea of civil, open-minded conversation can seem unreachable—until you meet Amina and Joe. Their unlikely friendship is the clearest example of how best to listen and collaborate across political divides.
Deep Dive
Resources for educators
Our educational programs and resources draw upon the Majlis, the specific cultural tradition of Arab problem-solving venues, and engage in communal reasoning and productive dialogue. Use our customizable lesson plans for (Un)divided to have better conversations about polarization in the classroom.
How an unlikely friendship can teach us to bridge the political divide
by Daniel King
This article was originally published in February 2019 and updated March 2024.
Amina Amdeen is an Iraqi American refugee and Muslim. Joe Weidknecht is a Trump supporter who was afraid of Muslims in America—until he met Amina.
They met at a rally in Austin after US president Donald Trump’s 2016 election. When the rally turned violent and antifa protesters attacked Joe for wearing a Trump hat, Amina jumped to his defense, stepping in between antifa and Joe to protect him. Remembering the traumatic moments in her life when people tried to rip off her headscarf, Amina says, “something snapped inside me.” She shielded Joe and demanded they back off.
Amina and Joe have remained close ever since.
“I never thought that anyone who wasn’t aligned with my viewpoint cared,” Joe tells Amina at a kitchen table in Doha Debates’ short documentary (Un)divided, an intimate reflection on the importance of civil discourse across political and religious differences.
The widening political divide and polarization of our world have become so personal, and so volatile, that the very idea of civil, open-minded conversation can seem unreachable at times, and solutions scarce—until you meet Amina and Joe. Their unlikely friendship is the clearest example of how best to listen and collaborate across political divides.
I never thought that anyone who wasn’t aligned with my viewpoint cared.
“One of the things I liked about Trump was his hard-line stance on immigration,” Joe tells Amina in (Un)divided. “Before meeting you, I believed that Islam was this violent, hateful religion, that there was no difference between ISIS and the Muslim faith.”
After Joe started seeing neo-Nazis marching alongside him, he reevaluated his alliances: “Am I associated with these people? I was disgusted with myself. Obviously there was some kind of connection between my beliefs and their beliefs. So I had to change something.”
“Both of us want to see this country do the best it can,” Amina says. “A big thing we have in common is that we realize it’s important to talk to other people, and it’s more valuable to talk to people who disagree with you, who aren’t going to confirm everything you already believe.”
Confirmation bias is growing globally, but the temptation to limit ourselves to news, views or friendships that only reinforce our beliefs is creating more caricatures, not common ground.
“I’m saddened by the polarization and lack of discourse,” Joe says. “Yeah, I voted for Trump, but I don’t see myself as the typical conservative monolith. I’m pro-choice, pro-legalization of marijuana, and I’m not very religious. It took a lot of self-reflection to realize the other side can be as three-dimensional as I am.”
“To a lot of people, Trump represents racism, bigotry, xenophobia,” he says, “but I support Trump because of his economic policy, strong border and gun rights. So if someone’s gonna judge me for what hat I’m wearing, what chance do we have for discourse?”
