Interfaith soccer teams eased Muslim-Christian tensions — to a point
A study in Iraq shows the benefits and limitations of social cohesion interventions
![children playing soccer in Iraq](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/081320_SG_soccer_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
Christian children displaced by the Islamic State play soccer in Ankawa, Iraq, in 2017. A political scientist tested whether putting adult Christians and Muslims on the same soccer teams could help the communities reconcile after ISIS forced Christians and other minorities to flee parts of northern Iraq in 2014.
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