announcer: opportunity. prosperity. optimismsm. today, we're off to the rainforests of peru, where the trade in local wildlife is pushing some species to the brink of extinction. in the democratic republic of congo, a swiss director has provided a platform for people to talk about their suffering. but first, we head to the united states, where the far-right is also becoming increasingly vocal -- which is deeply affecting many communities. there are more than 326 million people living in the usa.

and far-right violence is on the rise -- that was clear even before the horrors of charlottesville. according to recent fbi statistics, 7615 people were the victims of hate crimes in 2016. that's 400 more than the previous year. and those are only official figures. people are often victimized because of their skin color, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. this kind of prejudice is something a muslim community close to hancock in the state of new york is more than familiar with. reporter: hancock is a small town in the state of new york. it's surrounded by idyllic countryside, farmland, forests , and the delaware river -- a favorite haunt of fishing enthusiasts. and this summer, a rallying point for the new far-right movement. this video is from the so-called "proud boys" organization. the convoy is headed for the small muslim community of

"islamberg," not far from hancock. pax: this is a problem. the fact that there are places in the united states -- >> that are no-go zones. pax: yeah. >> that's what they want to establish, just like they did in europe. no-go zones. and then they take over. organization that founded the hamlet just 20 kilometers northwest of hancock. the proud boys believe the people here are a threat to america. pawl bazile attended the rally. we met him in new york city, in the editing suite where he puts together the proud boys' videos. pawl: the reason why we're singling out muslims of america in islamberg is because they're connected with jamaat ul-fuqra. they seem to be law-abiding citizens. they're not outwardly doing anything illegal. but when you're a front organization for something else, you don't necessarily -- you're not murdering people in the streets every day. reporter: nancy furdock feels enraged by activists like pawl bazile.

she says they're upsetting the peace in hancock. nancy: everybody knows everybody. it's like a family, really. reporter: furdock moved here 20 years ago and works in local tourism. but since far-right media linked hancock to islamberg, which they allege is a terrorist training camp, she's received some going to bring my kids to a terrorist community. why are you supporting them? reporter: islamberg was founded in the 1980's by predominantly african-american muslims. it's one of 22 communities run by "muslims of america" that follow the teachings of pakistani sufi cleric mubarik ali shah gilani. its members have turned their backs on the crime, poverty, and racism of american cities to raise their children in a more stable and religious environment.

tahira clark has lived in islamberg since she was 12. she studied law at the university of albany, and is now the community's legal counsel. tahirah: fear? no. concern? yes. because the attention that they bring to our community and the statements, the false accusations that they level against our community, can incite others to violence. reporter: a neighborhood get-together in hancock organized by nancy and tahirah on behalf of the local religious communities. nancy: this perception that they're sequestered, and locked and gated with armed guards at the gates, and nobody's allowed in or out -- it's completely false. they're just like you and me. they're just normal people trying to live their lives, educate their kids, keep them away from harm.

reporter: the far-right paints a completely different picture. backed by millions of donor dollars, the clarion project produces films about the perceived threat from muslims -- including those in islamberg. >> [film clip] the messianic cult-like leader is the founder of jamaat ul-fuqraa and its american front group the muslims of america, or "moa" as they're referred to in fbi documents. jamaat ul-fuqraa is an international terrorist organization with operations in the united states that predate 9/11 by more than 20 years. james: that is completely false. reporter: major james barnes from the new york state police works in anti-terrorism and is in close contact with the fbi. he's frustrated by the far-right propaganda targeting the residents of islamberg. james: through my interaction with them throughout the last 15 years and my experience in law enforcement and the colleagues

that i have throughout the state and in federal government, i am very confident, and i am not concerned in the least about them being portrayed -- they are nothing like they are being portrayed. there has been no cause for any terrorism cases for the folks in islamberg in recent history. reporter: his words fall on deaf ears when it comes to people like pawl bazile. they believe what they find on the internet. pawl: it's not that i have evidence personally of wrongdoing, but i've read about accounts and things like the clarion project, and other books and people who've researched this much further than i have, that this is a place of interest that might arouse suspicion. reporter: and some far-right extremists go much further. robert doggart, a former tennessee congressional candidate, actually planned an attack on the community. this is an fbi recording of his voice. robert: we, the non-muslims, shall be cruel to them.

and through our cruelty, they shall know who we are. they will not defeat us. and they shall fear us. and every night when they close their eyes for sleep, they will be tortured. reporter: doggart was arrested in 2015 and sentenced in april this year to 20 years in jail for plotting an arson attack on the mosque in islamberg. tahirah: he said the sound of the explosion would cause the people to get up and to run out of the building, and then they would meet them with gunfire. reporter: back in hancock, and the neighborhood party. this was the day after hundreds of white nationalists marched in charlottesville, virginia. one person was killed and 19 injured when a car drove into a group of counter-demonstrators. tahirah clark and nancy furdock feel their message has never been more important. tahirah: just think about what happened yesterday in charlottesville. that is not my america.

this is my america. learn about their neighbors, learn about people who may be different from them. reporter: it's the same america that nancy wants to live in, too. nancy: this is our unified vision of what america should be -- and is. host: smart phones, tablets and pc's all contain rare metals -- metals like lithium, coltan and cobalt. our devices simply wouldn't work without them. in just a single smart phone, there are over 30 different kinds. and they come from all over the world -- from the central african republic, myanmar, afghanistan, and the democratic republic of congo. there, in the east of the country, two million miners extract the precious metals by hand. 30% of them are children under the age of 14. it's estimated that the democratic republic of congo is

sitting on an incredible $24 trillion u.s. worth of metals. yet, the average salary there is just $250 per year. the country might be commodity-rich, but its people are desperately poor. reporter: swiss theater director milo rau was here in eastern democratic republic of congo researching a project three years ago, when a massacre took place in a village. 36 people were killed. the youngest victim was a two-month-old baby. >> i've lost my children. reporter: the country has long been mired in violence. the civil war, which ended in 2003, claimed six million lives. one in three women here have been raped. the country has endured horror

upon horror, all because of its vast natural wealth. tin, coltan, copper -- without these natural resources, there would be no computers, mobile phones, and electric cars. these mineral deposits are at the heart of the conflict between armed forces and rebels. the corrupt government grants mining licenses to international companies. >> the atrocities are never-ending. why is there no international court? nobody cares what's happening here. reporter: thousands of crimes have been committed here with impunity, as the government looks on and the west profits from low-cost natural resources. milo rau passionately believes that theater should address real-world issues. to him, the point of art is to galvanize people to take a stand against injustice. if politicians are failing in their duties, it's up to artists to pick up the slack.

milo: i have a basically dark character, but i can free myself of it by working in a sort of frenzy -- i channel what's on my mind into a project. that's my approach in life -- all artists do it. they work in order to work is milo rau's most ambitious project to date. in 2015 he staged a symbolic tribunal in eastern democratic republic of congo, and shot a film about it. three genuine cases are investigated. the judge, prosecutor, and 40 witnesses who testify -- from gold prospectors to government ministers -- are all real, too. only the judgment isn't. it's not the first time that milo rau has staged a tribunal that should have but hasn't taken place. he spends months badgering the various parties to get involved. then he hands over the stage to them. milo: they get 20 minutes to talk -- about their village, its

destruction, about injustice, about their business that was ruined, about people they knew who had to flee. if you give people 20 minutes, they'll use them. reporter: in summer 2017, milo rau returned to the country to show his film. he's meeting a village minister who testified at the tribunal. he talked about an issue that affects everyone here. a few years ago, africa's biggest gold deposit was discovered here. a multinational gold mining company relocated the entire village from the fertile valley to a site high up in mountainous territory -- without asking the inhabitants, without compensating them -- a perfectly legal practice in the democratic republic of congo. >> what's life like in the new village?

>> it's worrying. there are no streets. no drinking water. it's hard to get food. reporter: the audience is electrified. for decades, people here have been seeking justice and had all but given up hope. now they're seeing someone on the screen who's giving a voice to their suffering. it doesn't matter that it's just a film. its message is that justice can be done -- a revolutionary message. roseline: i would like to see the culture of impunity tackled. and the perpetrators are arrested and put on trial -- however powerful they are. even if it's the president. reporter: in cities, in villages. the film makes everyone think -- from people who can't read, to university scholars. it makes everyone feel they can

change things -- motivates them to push for a real tribunal. that's exactly what milo rau wants -- to show that what seems impossible is possible. the congo tribunal declares the provincial government and the multinational companies equally guilty. the film lays bare the connection between the suffering in the democratic republic of congo and western affluence. to milo rau, that recognition is a vital part of democracy. milo: it's like we're having an adolescent crisis. our moral and political sensibilities are being overwhelmed. so we need to educate ourselves. we must keep in mind that globalization is complicated, it's a dangerous system. capitalism is predatory, and we need to stop it.

host: do you share milo rau's view? do you consider capitalism predatory? let us know. post a comment on our facebook page, dw global society, where you can also find inspiring stories from around the world. this week, our global snack comes from the bosnian capital, sarajevo. enjoy. reporter: the bosnian capital sarajevo has been a melting pot of muslims, jews, and catholic and orthodox christians for centuries. the old-town dotted with markets and courtyards was designed by the turks 600 years ago. and the ottoman influence is also evident in the local cuisine, as served up by this restaurant, sac. emina sarac has been working here for 15 years. it's the place to come for classic bosnian burek.

emina: my name is emine sarac. i am born in serbia, but i am living in bosnia herzegovina. i am working at sac, the name of the shop, and we are the traditional way and we are making the pie. reporter: burek is a baked pastry with various fillings. the snack originated in turkey. in addition to serving burek, emina also has a hand in making it. the process involves gracefully tossing the dough back and forth until it's just thin enough. emina: my friend told me to come here, then i tried to learn how to make it, how to bake it, how to salt, what meat, what cheese, spinach, potato. reporter: once those fillings have been added, the dough is rolled into long, thin sausages and placed in a spiral. this man has an extremely demanding job.

he's responsible for keeping the charcoal-fired ovens alight. the heat is so relentless that he and his colleagues change over shifts after just 4.5 hours. emina: we are making on the fire. it's the traditional way, our fathers and mothers, they make it like this on the fire. it's very hot here. reporter: 10 minutes in the oven, and they're done. the burek is served with a yogurt sauce, and is washed down with tea or a fresh yogurt drink. sac is a place that brings hungry locals and tourists together. an incredible 3000 portions a day are served up here. adnan: it is fresh, it is hand made. and it's made by the recipe by the ethnic restaurant here, in bosnia-herzegowina, what they do here. like home -- they do it like home, like our mothers will do. reporter: except here, you pay one euro 50 for a portion. the burek is so popular among locals that many take it away to

eat at home. host: today in global ideas, we head to the peruvian rainforests, close to the border with bolivia. this inaccessible jungle is home to a rich and unique variety of wildlife. but several species are under threat -- some, because they're being sold for profit. our reporter, inga sieg, joined a team of environmentalists, who are working to preserve this very special eco-system. inga: kevin ibanez spends most of his work life in the jungle. the camp lies on a river on the border between peru and bolivia.

his office is in the city of puerto maldonado, a whole day's boat ride away. kevin: i always loved nature, but not only to see it, to admire it. i wanted to do something for it. my favorite color is green. and here in the jungle you can see a lot of greens, different greens, even. this is one of the most bio-diverse areas in all the world with lots of species of animals and plants. inga: the focus of kevin's work is the yellow-spotted river turtle. it's on the brink of extinction. for years, conservationists have been watching their numbers fall. kevin: there's a nest. we have found an empty nest. all the native communities here come to the beaches to gather these eggs because they eat

them, and also they sell them. we have more than 90% empty nests. inga: it's a lucrative business. the eggs can be sold on markets outside the jungle at high prices. edwin tucha has stopped eating the turtle eggs. but he comes from the only village in the vicinity, so he knows how to find the nests. edwin: first, we identify the trail left by the turtle, and then we follow it until we reach the nest. inga: the nature reserve covers around a million hectares. outside the park, woodcutters and gold prospectors are devouring their way through the rainforest. endangered species like parrots seek refuge here.

kevin: you can feel it everywhere where you go inside the rainforest. you can have the plants all around, you can watch any animal at any moment. when we do our job, we wake up really early, go to the forest, e results you can make decisions. inga: kevin and his colleagues from the national park want to find out which animals are in the area and where they live. images from the wildlife cameras are invaluable. the conservationists are already one step closer to protecting the turtles. they're breeding them here on this artificial beach. judging by the temperature,

they're about to hatch -- around 700 of them -- which will then be put back in their natural habitat. kevin: we are trying to prove this alternative to make the population grow. inga: they've had great success with the cameras. kevin: until now, we have seen a small cat -- it's called margei -- many deers, really nice pictures of deers, two tapirs, and a puma. inga: almost all of these animals are on the red list of endangered species.

they should all find a good home soon in the nature reserve. but the people who live in the forest need to make changes to their way of life, too. the group meets edwin's family, who've come from the village to fish in the river. they mostly live off the jungle. alongside fish, turtle eggs are a major source of protein. kevin: they have this tradition to eat these river turtle eggs -- they always have done that, even their grandfathers and even before, because they used to do this, like today -- travelling along the river, and the river has these resources. we can't stop them.

inga: for this reason, the jungle residents are allowed to continue eating the eggs, but selling them is now strictly prohibited. kevin wants to know if the ban is working. but he finds some at the first stall. the woman wants the equivalent of five euros for a dozen turtle eggs. she doesn't appear to have any qualms. kevin: here we could find some river turtle eggs -- it's a dozen. this is a real sad thing. sad thing. i didn't expect to find this here in the market, the central of market of puerto. well, this means that we have to make more effort in the next years. to work with the people, to make that this really beautiful and important species can go on.

inga: but as the city grows, the turtle's future looks increasingly bleak. the population of puerto maldonado has been soaring ever since it linked up to a major highway. and as the population rises, so does the pressure on the rainforest. host: that's all for today. thanks for joining us. as ever, we love hearing from you. write to us at global3000@dw.com, or on facebook. see you soon. bye for now. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: opportunity. prosperity. optimism.

- [female voice over]: this program is made possible in part by the town of marion, home of the wayne henderson school of appalachian arts, celebrating 21 years as a certified virginia main street community. the historic general francis marion hotel and the speak easy restaurant and lounge, providing accommodations and casual fine dining in downtown marion, virginia. the bank of marion. technology powered, service driven. wbrf 98.1 fm. and bryant label, a proud supporter of our region's musical heritage. ("cherokee shuffle" by gerald anderson) ♪