The following story is told by “Howard”, a Messianic [Jewish] pastor in Israel, and “Labib”, a Palestinian Christian, in the early days after the latest conflict in Gaza. Labib Madanat is the Director of the Palestinian Bible Society. Both are trying to be true followers of Jesus who requires us to love one’s enemies.
Howard writes: The director of the Bible Society, Labib, called me up saying that he wanted to come down to Beer Sheva today and visit wounded soldiers at Soroka Medical Center. I was very pleased that my schedule today gave me the time to go with him. (As the Lord would have it, I had spoken with Labib shortly after the war to check on the situation of the believers in Gaza).
When he arrived, we went to buy flowers to give to either the soldiers themselves, or to members of their families. At the hospital they told us that there were only four soldiers still there under care, some still seriously from their wounds. [Howard’s son Evan served with the army in Gaza].
Then Labib picks up the story: For the vast majority of Palestinians, Evan is a soldier in the enemy army, for you [Howard], he is your dear son. Who is he to me? I believe Christ asks me to choose, and as painful as it feels at times like these, I count Evan as MY BROTHER; you are my family.
I celebrate with you his safe return and pray that he will make it home safe soon. May the Lord have mercy upon our peoples and protect His body from the poison of this world.
Pray for us as we are preparing to go back to Gaza taking the love and mercy of Jesus. As we go we will not go alone, I know you are with us, our Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters, blessing those whom the vast majority of Israelis would see as enemies. We are one...because of Jesus.
Now Howard picks up the story: When we went to visit the soldiers, Labib shared his concern and love with them and/or their families. He told them he was an Arab from East Jerusalem. You could see the expressions on the faces of the soldiers, visitors, and families visibly change and even harden. He told them how he was a Christian, not as a religion, but as a personal faith in Yeshua, whose message is peace, [and as a follower of this “Way”].
Labib told them he even visits Gaza, and hopes to do so in a few more days, and that his friend had been murdered there by fanatics because of his Christian faith. Labib simply came to bless them, tell them he loves Israelis and the Jewish people, and is thankful to the Israelis in that he is a citizen, and even more for the Messiah who came as a Jew.
In each case of visiting different soldiers or the families, after seeing their expressions and perplexity at this Palestinian Arab Christian coming to bless them and to wish them well, I then told them about my son, Evan, who was in a particular combat unit, who had also fought in Gaza. That Labib and I could come together was proof that his gesture was not an empty one, but a real and tangible expression of the truth that is in his heart. When they realized what was going on here, all of them lightened up, and expressed their appreciation for Labib coming and the goodwill he carried. It was a privilege and an honor to accompany Labib today and see a child of God extending the peace which comes through really knowing Jesus.
Now a comment from John Kleinheksel (who received this story from “Robin”, one of our “FPI” friends): This is the Spirit that will carry the day in Isr/Pal. I frankly don’t know the “track record” of Messianic Jews in Isr/Pal. Pastor Howard cared about what Palestinian believers were suffering in Gaza. Director Labib cared about what Israeli soldiers were suffering in Israel.
All of us must be sensitive to the injustices which must be redressed. The new dynamic needed is love, caring, reaching out to the “enemy”, in fulfillment of the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. From where else does this Spirit come?
I’m reminded of the incident as told in the gospels, of a Roman occupation officer/soldier coming to Jesus for help. Jesus could have refused to deal with the Roman military officer’s request for help, since the Roman occupation troops were so violently, cruelly oppressing his fellow countrymen. Instead, he offered to go to the officer’s house and heal the man’s servant, complimenting the hated man for his simple trust (Luke 7:1ff).
Howard and Labib seem to illustrate people reaching across hateful divides, to bring healing where there has only been recrimination, hard-heartedness and violence. When this Spirit is let loose, our world goes beyond the old way into the new “Way”. There will be no peace without justice; there will be no justice without love. Shalom, Salaam, Peace.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The DEATH of the Two-State "Solution"
The relentless commitment to expanding Israeli settlements, deep into West Bank territory, has made the "two-state" proposal impossible. The only way now is for Palestinians to be made part of "one state", with equal citizen rights like Jewish immigrants.
Neither Arab Palestinians nor Israeli immigrants can "claim" the whole land for themselves, nor is it possible for each to have their own state. Israel must give up the fiction of giving lip-service to the "two-state" solution (so they can maintain "control" of "their own country".)
The sooner the US wakes up to this reality, the more focused will be our foreign policy. The following ATFP piece is from the President Mr. Zaid Asali. The ATFP (and countless others) are still commitmented to the "two-state" solution. But, IMHO, that option has been dead for a long time and the US must move on to helping all see that the "one-state" solution is truly the only option left: equal citizenship for all who live in that small territory, Your correspondent, JRK
Washington, DC, Feb. 4 –
The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today warned that plans for a new Israeli settlement in the West Bank poses a serious threat to progress towards a peace agreement. The proposed new settlement in the so-called “Binyamin region” of the occupied West Bank is located to the east of the separation barrier and would violate both Israel’s Roadmap obligations and commitments by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to former US President George W. Bush.
The new settlement, which has reportedly been approved by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak would initially resettle settlers from the unauthorized settlement called Migron. Last week the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz revealed a secret Defense Ministry report on settlement activity that found that “in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction of buildings and infrastructure (roads, schools, synagogues, yeshivas and even police stations) has been carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents” and that the actual scope and nature of settlement activity is not reflected in official Israeli government statistics.
ATFP President Ziad J. Asali said, “we are dismayed that the Israeli government is persisting with creating new settlements that it knows full well are the main obstacle to achieving an end-of-conflict agreement.” “Israel has clear obligations under the Roadmap, and many other instruments of international law including countless Security Council resolutions, not to continue to build or expand these illegal settlements,” he continued.
Dr. Asali called on President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to use all the influence of the United States to ensure that the planned new settlement is not constructed and that Israel abides by its Roadmap obligations.
Neither Arab Palestinians nor Israeli immigrants can "claim" the whole land for themselves, nor is it possible for each to have their own state. Israel must give up the fiction of giving lip-service to the "two-state" solution (so they can maintain "control" of "their own country".)
The sooner the US wakes up to this reality, the more focused will be our foreign policy. The following ATFP piece is from the President Mr. Zaid Asali. The ATFP (and countless others) are still commitmented to the "two-state" solution. But, IMHO, that option has been dead for a long time and the US must move on to helping all see that the "one-state" solution is truly the only option left: equal citizenship for all who live in that small territory, Your correspondent, JRK
Washington, DC, Feb. 4 –
The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today warned that plans for a new Israeli settlement in the West Bank poses a serious threat to progress towards a peace agreement. The proposed new settlement in the so-called “Binyamin region” of the occupied West Bank is located to the east of the separation barrier and would violate both Israel’s Roadmap obligations and commitments by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to former US President George W. Bush.
The new settlement, which has reportedly been approved by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak would initially resettle settlers from the unauthorized settlement called Migron. Last week the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz revealed a secret Defense Ministry report on settlement activity that found that “in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction of buildings and infrastructure (roads, schools, synagogues, yeshivas and even police stations) has been carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents” and that the actual scope and nature of settlement activity is not reflected in official Israeli government statistics.
ATFP President Ziad J. Asali said, “we are dismayed that the Israeli government is persisting with creating new settlements that it knows full well are the main obstacle to achieving an end-of-conflict agreement.” “Israel has clear obligations under the Roadmap, and many other instruments of international law including countless Security Council resolutions, not to continue to build or expand these illegal settlements,” he continued.
Dr. Asali called on President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to use all the influence of the United States to ensure that the planned new settlement is not constructed and that Israel abides by its Roadmap obligations.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Israelis Call for Ceasefire
14 Jan. '09: Israeli Human Rights groups:
Clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians
An Israeli Call For Urgent Humanitarian Action In Gaza
Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza on December 27, a heavy suspicion has arisen of grave violations of international humanitarian law by military forces. After the end of the hostilities, the time will come for the investigation of this matter, and accountability will be demanded of those responsible for the violations.
At this point we call your attention to the clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians.
The level of harm to the civilian population is unprecedented. According to the testimony of residents of the Gaza Strip and media reports, military forces are making wanton use of lethal force which has to date caused the deaths of hundreds of uninvolved civilians and destroyed infrastructure and property on an enormous scale. In addition, Israel is also hitting civilian objects, having defined them as "legitimate military targets" solely by virtue of their being "symbols of government."
Caught in the middle are 1.5 million civilians in extreme humanitarian distress, whose needs are not being adequately met by the limited measures taken by the army. That distress is detailed in the Appendix to this letter. Its main points are as follows:
The fighting is taking place throughout the Gaza Strip, whose border crossings are closed, so that residents have nowhere to flee, neither inside the Gaza Strip nor by leaving it. Many are unable to escape from the battle zone to protect themselves. They are forced to live in fear and terror. The army's demand that they evacuate their homes so as to avoid injury has no basis. Some people who did escape are living as refugees, stripped of all resources.
The health system has collapsed. Hospitals are unable to provide adequate treatment to the injured, nor can patients be evacuated to medical centers outside of the Gaza Strip. This state of affairs is causing the death of injured persons who could have been saved. Nor are chronic patients receiving the treatment they need. Their health is deteriorating, and some have already died.
Areas that were subject to intensive attacks are completely isolated. It is impossible to know the condition of the people who are there, whether they are injured and need treatment and whether they have food, water and medicine. The army is preventing local and international rescue teams from accessing those places and is also refraining from helping them itself, even though it is required to do so by law.
Many of the residents do not have access to electricity or running water, and in many populated areas sewage water is running in the streets. That combination creates severe sanitation problems and increases the risk of an outbreak of epidemics.
This kind of fighting constitutes a blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion, which we ask be investigated, of the commission of war crimes.
The responsibility of the State of Israel in this matter is clear and beyond doubt. The army's complete control of the battle zones and the access roads to them does not allow Israel to transfer that responsibility to other countries. Therefore we call on you to act immediately as follows:
1. Stop the disproportionate harm to civilians, and stop targeting civilian objects that do not serve any military purpose, even if they meet the definition of "symbols of government."
2. Open a route for civilians to escape the battle zone, while guaranteeing their ability to return home at the end of the fighting.
3. Provide appropriate and immediate medical care to all of the injured and ill of the Gaza Strip, either by evacuating them to medical centers outside of the Gaza Strip or by reaching another solution inside the Gaza Strip.
4. Allow rescue and medical teams to reach battle-torn zones to evacuate the injured and bring supplies to those who remain there. Alternatively, the army must carry out those activities itself.
5. Secure the proper operation of the electricity, water and sewage systems so that they meet the needs of the population.
Participating organizations:
Adalah - The Legal Center For Arab Minority Rights In Israel
Amnesty International Israel Section
Bimkom - Planners For Planning Rights
B’Tselem - The Israeli Information Center For Human Rights In The Occupied Territories
Gisha - Legal Center For Freedom Of Movement
Hamoked - Center For Defence Of The Individual
Physicians For Human Rights
Israel Public Committee Against Torture In Israel
Yesh Din - Volunteers For Human Rights
http://www.btselem.org/English/Press_Releases/20090114.asp
Clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians
An Israeli Call For Urgent Humanitarian Action In Gaza
Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza on December 27, a heavy suspicion has arisen of grave violations of international humanitarian law by military forces. After the end of the hostilities, the time will come for the investigation of this matter, and accountability will be demanded of those responsible for the violations.
At this point we call your attention to the clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians.
The level of harm to the civilian population is unprecedented. According to the testimony of residents of the Gaza Strip and media reports, military forces are making wanton use of lethal force which has to date caused the deaths of hundreds of uninvolved civilians and destroyed infrastructure and property on an enormous scale. In addition, Israel is also hitting civilian objects, having defined them as "legitimate military targets" solely by virtue of their being "symbols of government."
Caught in the middle are 1.5 million civilians in extreme humanitarian distress, whose needs are not being adequately met by the limited measures taken by the army. That distress is detailed in the Appendix to this letter. Its main points are as follows:
The fighting is taking place throughout the Gaza Strip, whose border crossings are closed, so that residents have nowhere to flee, neither inside the Gaza Strip nor by leaving it. Many are unable to escape from the battle zone to protect themselves. They are forced to live in fear and terror. The army's demand that they evacuate their homes so as to avoid injury has no basis. Some people who did escape are living as refugees, stripped of all resources.
The health system has collapsed. Hospitals are unable to provide adequate treatment to the injured, nor can patients be evacuated to medical centers outside of the Gaza Strip. This state of affairs is causing the death of injured persons who could have been saved. Nor are chronic patients receiving the treatment they need. Their health is deteriorating, and some have already died.
Areas that were subject to intensive attacks are completely isolated. It is impossible to know the condition of the people who are there, whether they are injured and need treatment and whether they have food, water and medicine. The army is preventing local and international rescue teams from accessing those places and is also refraining from helping them itself, even though it is required to do so by law.
Many of the residents do not have access to electricity or running water, and in many populated areas sewage water is running in the streets. That combination creates severe sanitation problems and increases the risk of an outbreak of epidemics.
This kind of fighting constitutes a blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion, which we ask be investigated, of the commission of war crimes.
The responsibility of the State of Israel in this matter is clear and beyond doubt. The army's complete control of the battle zones and the access roads to them does not allow Israel to transfer that responsibility to other countries. Therefore we call on you to act immediately as follows:
1. Stop the disproportionate harm to civilians, and stop targeting civilian objects that do not serve any military purpose, even if they meet the definition of "symbols of government."
2. Open a route for civilians to escape the battle zone, while guaranteeing their ability to return home at the end of the fighting.
3. Provide appropriate and immediate medical care to all of the injured and ill of the Gaza Strip, either by evacuating them to medical centers outside of the Gaza Strip or by reaching another solution inside the Gaza Strip.
4. Allow rescue and medical teams to reach battle-torn zones to evacuate the injured and bring supplies to those who remain there. Alternatively, the army must carry out those activities itself.
5. Secure the proper operation of the electricity, water and sewage systems so that they meet the needs of the population.
Participating organizations:
Adalah - The Legal Center For Arab Minority Rights In Israel
Amnesty International Israel Section
Bimkom - Planners For Planning Rights
B’Tselem - The Israeli Information Center For Human Rights In The Occupied Territories
Gisha - Legal Center For Freedom Of Movement
Hamoked - Center For Defence Of The Individual
Physicians For Human Rights
Israel Public Committee Against Torture In Israel
Yesh Din - Volunteers For Human Rights
http://www.btselem.org/English/Press_Releases/20090114.asp
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Plea to Help Gazans
Gaza: in search of the peacemakers
by Ali Elhajj
Where are the peacemakers? Where are those who will care for the alien, the orphan, and the widow? Why is the body of Christ silent as the violence escalates in the Middle East?
It has been 14 days now. Over 700 Palestinians and ten Israelis have been killed (seven of them soldiers), and 3085 Palestinians have been injured. 25% of the dead are non-combatants: women, children and the old. In the fog of war, the only certainty is these numbers will rise.
By now every major organization has issued a position statement on the recent outbreak of violence, and the pundits have been practicing their craft on the news channels for some time.
At the Christian run Ahli-Arab hospital in Gaza, the wailing of the sirens is continuous, all the windows have been destroyed, the patients shiver in the winter air and the hospitals director is desperate for blankets. Fuel supplies are low, medicines and food are scarce, the equipment is antiquated, the patients are many, and the bombing never stops. It is cold and Gaza is in the dark.
In Sderot, an Israeli town not too far from Gaza, the lights are on but they do not extinguish the darkness. A 51 year-old resident of the city recently wrote these words:
“People who don't live in Sderot don't understand the situation here, just as those who don't live in Gaza don't understand their situation. But I know they suffer and I know we suffer as well.
At the end of the day there will be an agreement, so why do we have to go through this process of killing and shedding blood first? Why can't we stop? Why do we need for them to suffer so terribly, and I have no doubt that they are suffering more than us.
We in Sderot are so sick of this and they must be saying the same thing…?
In Sderot, like in other cities in the Israeli South, the rockets fall as they have for some time now. The sirens wail at random, and residents are urged to run to their shelters in hopes they will make it in time. Sderot is 1.8 kilometers from Gaza. A rocket can reach Sderot in nine seconds.
Meanwhile, young Israeli men and women are on the way to Gaza. They are actors in a stage not of their making, victims of the past. The basest of them take vengeance in their anger and the compassionate are caught between sympathy and duty.
In Gaza, hatred grows; the bombs cannot extinguish it. They old bury the young, the young watch the old whither, dignity is a memory and peace but a forgotten shadow. The scale of the destruction and death is beyond imagination.
Hamas blames Israel for breaking the cease fire by sending troops into Gaza on November 4th and for not complying with the conditions of the cease fire and allowing significant levels of goods and humanitarian aide to flow into Gaza. How long, Hamas asks, can they show restraint while Gazans starve in the dark? Cease-fire or no cease-fire, the conditions are the same; what is the difference between a swift death or a slow one?
Israel cannot be asked to live with an organization whose history includes dispatching suicide bombers to kill its citizens. Israel blames Hamas for the blockade and points out that Hamas that has been firing rockets at civilians.
Around the world, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups echo these arguments louder and louder every day. No one ever wins the rhetoric battles because no one can for it is wrong for an occupying power to starve a population and force it to live in poverty and it is wrong to fire rockets at civilians forcing them to live in fear. Deep down each side acknowledges its culpability, but cannot show mercy. Both are blind in one eye and the other eye only looks in the mirror to see its own pain. Each side claims it must act because it, after-all, is the victim.
Fear, hatred, death, uncertainty and fanaticism rule the day.
For all these reasons, and more, I beg my brothers and sisters in Christ to undertake a revolution in thought which extends beyond entrenched racial and political dogmas, one that is grounded in the gospel of peace in Christ and one which propels the body of Christ to care for the sick and dying, for the fearful, and for those whom we call friend or enemy.
We must act in compassion to heal the sick and have mercy on those who are suffering- be they Israeli or Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, or Jew. The very believability of the gospel of Christ is at stake.
The battle for Gaza is ongoing and it will continue after the last round is fired. When Gaza emerges from the rubble, Gazans will remember those who came to them in time of need. Will it be the representatives of radicalization and hatred that will rebuild Gaza or will it be the voices of reason and compassion? Simply stated: we cannot afford to abandon Gaza
We must also not forget Sderot and the cities in the Israeli South. For in them, as in Gaza, hatred grows as the rockets fall. We must do everything we can to engender compassion and build bridges of understanding. We must also be there to mourn with those who mourn and care for those in need.
We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of assigning blame, washing our hands of the world, or placing ourselves above it. Nor can we allow ourselves to be held hostage by eschatological positions which offer no respite for those who bury the dead or care for the injured.
Now is the time to plead for peace and reconciliation, a time to end the madness and call for understanding. We may or may not be successful, but we cannot be silent. Our God was not silent in the face of our inequities and while He could have judged us, He, instead, sent His Son to bridge the divide between God and man. If then, we are created in His image and for His purpose, can we not then stand in the gap between Arab and Jew and beg for peace?
May God help us make this stand and forgive us if we do not.
by Ali Elhajj
Where are the peacemakers? Where are those who will care for the alien, the orphan, and the widow? Why is the body of Christ silent as the violence escalates in the Middle East?
It has been 14 days now. Over 700 Palestinians and ten Israelis have been killed (seven of them soldiers), and 3085 Palestinians have been injured. 25% of the dead are non-combatants: women, children and the old. In the fog of war, the only certainty is these numbers will rise.
By now every major organization has issued a position statement on the recent outbreak of violence, and the pundits have been practicing their craft on the news channels for some time.
At the Christian run Ahli-Arab hospital in Gaza, the wailing of the sirens is continuous, all the windows have been destroyed, the patients shiver in the winter air and the hospitals director is desperate for blankets. Fuel supplies are low, medicines and food are scarce, the equipment is antiquated, the patients are many, and the bombing never stops. It is cold and Gaza is in the dark.
In Sderot, an Israeli town not too far from Gaza, the lights are on but they do not extinguish the darkness. A 51 year-old resident of the city recently wrote these words:
“People who don't live in Sderot don't understand the situation here, just as those who don't live in Gaza don't understand their situation. But I know they suffer and I know we suffer as well.
At the end of the day there will be an agreement, so why do we have to go through this process of killing and shedding blood first? Why can't we stop? Why do we need for them to suffer so terribly, and I have no doubt that they are suffering more than us.
We in Sderot are so sick of this and they must be saying the same thing…?
In Sderot, like in other cities in the Israeli South, the rockets fall as they have for some time now. The sirens wail at random, and residents are urged to run to their shelters in hopes they will make it in time. Sderot is 1.8 kilometers from Gaza. A rocket can reach Sderot in nine seconds.
Meanwhile, young Israeli men and women are on the way to Gaza. They are actors in a stage not of their making, victims of the past. The basest of them take vengeance in their anger and the compassionate are caught between sympathy and duty.
In Gaza, hatred grows; the bombs cannot extinguish it. They old bury the young, the young watch the old whither, dignity is a memory and peace but a forgotten shadow. The scale of the destruction and death is beyond imagination.
Hamas blames Israel for breaking the cease fire by sending troops into Gaza on November 4th and for not complying with the conditions of the cease fire and allowing significant levels of goods and humanitarian aide to flow into Gaza. How long, Hamas asks, can they show restraint while Gazans starve in the dark? Cease-fire or no cease-fire, the conditions are the same; what is the difference between a swift death or a slow one?
Israel cannot be asked to live with an organization whose history includes dispatching suicide bombers to kill its citizens. Israel blames Hamas for the blockade and points out that Hamas that has been firing rockets at civilians.
Around the world, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups echo these arguments louder and louder every day. No one ever wins the rhetoric battles because no one can for it is wrong for an occupying power to starve a population and force it to live in poverty and it is wrong to fire rockets at civilians forcing them to live in fear. Deep down each side acknowledges its culpability, but cannot show mercy. Both are blind in one eye and the other eye only looks in the mirror to see its own pain. Each side claims it must act because it, after-all, is the victim.
Fear, hatred, death, uncertainty and fanaticism rule the day.
For all these reasons, and more, I beg my brothers and sisters in Christ to undertake a revolution in thought which extends beyond entrenched racial and political dogmas, one that is grounded in the gospel of peace in Christ and one which propels the body of Christ to care for the sick and dying, for the fearful, and for those whom we call friend or enemy.
We must act in compassion to heal the sick and have mercy on those who are suffering- be they Israeli or Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, or Jew. The very believability of the gospel of Christ is at stake.
The battle for Gaza is ongoing and it will continue after the last round is fired. When Gaza emerges from the rubble, Gazans will remember those who came to them in time of need. Will it be the representatives of radicalization and hatred that will rebuild Gaza or will it be the voices of reason and compassion? Simply stated: we cannot afford to abandon Gaza
We must also not forget Sderot and the cities in the Israeli South. For in them, as in Gaza, hatred grows as the rockets fall. We must do everything we can to engender compassion and build bridges of understanding. We must also be there to mourn with those who mourn and care for those in need.
We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of assigning blame, washing our hands of the world, or placing ourselves above it. Nor can we allow ourselves to be held hostage by eschatological positions which offer no respite for those who bury the dead or care for the injured.
Now is the time to plead for peace and reconciliation, a time to end the madness and call for understanding. We may or may not be successful, but we cannot be silent. Our God was not silent in the face of our inequities and while He could have judged us, He, instead, sent His Son to bridge the divide between God and man. If then, we are created in His image and for His purpose, can we not then stand in the gap between Arab and Jew and beg for peace?
May God help us make this stand and forgive us if we do not.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A Call to Pray. God, working through us
Dear Friend,
The rupture is now again so raw that only mutual confession, repentance, Yom Kippur, Gethsemane, Golgatha and the empty tomb in our hearts are the only things that will bring about the changes we need. With thanks to Doug Dicks, our PCUSA liaison in Amman, Jordan. JRK
A prayer as we hear the news from Gaza and Israel
God of the ages,
we watch the images,
we hear the words,
we see the articles,
and our hearts break,
our souls ache,
our words falter.
We yearn to respond,
to reach out to Israelis and Palestinians,
all our sisters and brothers.
Show us ways to show our care.
Guide leaders of nations and people
to break the cycles of violence;
to seek the ways of peace;
to do justice; and
to walk humbly with you.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
A prayer for peace in the Middle EastO
Prince of Peace, silence the thunder of howitzers and Kalashnikovs and the roar of F-16s and Katyushas that the screams of pain, the cries of mourners and the pleas for mercy and peace may be heard. In the midst of battle, prepare tables in green places where sworn enemies might break bread together and discover their oneness in You. Make us instruments of your healing and peace and lead us all along new paths of righteousness toward that time when You will reign in all fullness and glory and we will all dwell with You in justice, unity, and peace forever. This we ask in your blessed name, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Rev. Robert D. Stoddard, Jr., Parish Associate, West Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE (Former Vice President for Development, Lebanese American University)
Peace with justice and the justice that leads to peace
God of the ages,
touch the hearts and minds,
spirits and souls
of the leaders of Israel and of Hamas.
Teach them anew that
hope for a just peace
cannot come from violence.
Grant them the faith and courage
to do justice peacefully
and to pursue peace justly.
Inspire the leaders of the world
to act in ways that will support
such efforts.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
This prayer is based on email exchanges between staff members of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A prayer on the futility of violence
God of justice and God of love,
remind your children in Gaza, in Israel, and around the world
of the futility of violence.
Help all of us
recognize that taking an eye for an eye
leads not to peace but
only to deeper blindness for everyone.
Help all of us
find the courage
to break cycles of violence,
establish new ways of relating
and pursue a better future together.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
This prayer is based on email exchanges between staff members of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A prayer in a time of international crisis
Eternal God, our only hope,
our help in times of trouble:
show nations and peoples
ways to work out differences
without resort to violence.
Do not let threats multiply
or power be used without compassion.
May your will overrule human willfulness,
so that people may agree and settle claims peacefully.
Hold back those who are impulsive,
lest desire for vengeance overwhelm our common welfare.
Bring peace to earth, through Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace and Savior of us all. Amen.
Book of Common Worship, p. 799, #861, adapted
The rupture is now again so raw that only mutual confession, repentance, Yom Kippur, Gethsemane, Golgatha and the empty tomb in our hearts are the only things that will bring about the changes we need. With thanks to Doug Dicks, our PCUSA liaison in Amman, Jordan. JRK
A prayer as we hear the news from Gaza and Israel
God of the ages,
we watch the images,
we hear the words,
we see the articles,
and our hearts break,
our souls ache,
our words falter.
We yearn to respond,
to reach out to Israelis and Palestinians,
all our sisters and brothers.
Show us ways to show our care.
Guide leaders of nations and people
to break the cycles of violence;
to seek the ways of peace;
to do justice; and
to walk humbly with you.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
A prayer for peace in the Middle EastO
Prince of Peace, silence the thunder of howitzers and Kalashnikovs and the roar of F-16s and Katyushas that the screams of pain, the cries of mourners and the pleas for mercy and peace may be heard. In the midst of battle, prepare tables in green places where sworn enemies might break bread together and discover their oneness in You. Make us instruments of your healing and peace and lead us all along new paths of righteousness toward that time when You will reign in all fullness and glory and we will all dwell with You in justice, unity, and peace forever. This we ask in your blessed name, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Rev. Robert D. Stoddard, Jr., Parish Associate, West Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE (Former Vice President for Development, Lebanese American University)
Peace with justice and the justice that leads to peace
God of the ages,
touch the hearts and minds,
spirits and souls
of the leaders of Israel and of Hamas.
Teach them anew that
hope for a just peace
cannot come from violence.
Grant them the faith and courage
to do justice peacefully
and to pursue peace justly.
Inspire the leaders of the world
to act in ways that will support
such efforts.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
This prayer is based on email exchanges between staff members of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A prayer on the futility of violence
God of justice and God of love,
remind your children in Gaza, in Israel, and around the world
of the futility of violence.
Help all of us
recognize that taking an eye for an eye
leads not to peace but
only to deeper blindness for everyone.
Help all of us
find the courage
to break cycles of violence,
establish new ways of relating
and pursue a better future together.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
This prayer is based on email exchanges between staff members of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A prayer in a time of international crisis
Eternal God, our only hope,
our help in times of trouble:
show nations and peoples
ways to work out differences
without resort to violence.
Do not let threats multiply
or power be used without compassion.
May your will overrule human willfulness,
so that people may agree and settle claims peacefully.
Hold back those who are impulsive,
lest desire for vengeance overwhelm our common welfare.
Bring peace to earth, through Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace and Savior of us all. Amen.
Book of Common Worship, p. 799, #861, adapted
Saturday, January 3, 2009
A Different View of Islam
Preaching Moderate Islam and Becoming a TV Star for Youths
By ROBERT F. WORTH
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — As Ahmad al-Shugairi took the stage, dressed in a flowing white gown and headdress, he clutched a microphone and told his audience that he had no religious training or titles: "I am not a sheik."
But over the next two hours, he worked the crowd as masterfully as any preacher, drawing rounds of uproarious laughter and, as he recalled the Prophet Muhammad's death, silent tears. He spoke against sectarianism. He made pleas for women to be treated as equals. He talked about his own life — his seven wild years in California, his divorce, his children — and gently satirized Arab mores.
When he finished, the packed concert hall erupted in a wild standing ovation. Members of his entourage soon bundled him through the thick crowd of admirers to a back door, where they rushed through the darkness to a waiting car.
"Elvis has left the building," Mr. Shugairi joked, in English, as he relaxed into his seat.
Mr. Shugairi is a rising star in a new generation of "satellite sheiks" whose religion-themed television shows have helped fuel a religious revival across the Arab world. Over the past decade, the number of satellite channels devoted exclusively to religion has risen from 1 to more than 30, and religious programming on general interest stations, like the one that features Mr. Shugairi's show, has soared. Mr. Shugairi and others like him have succeeded by appealing to a young audience that is hungry for religious identity but deeply alienated from both politics and the traditional religious establishment, especially in the fundamentalist forms now common in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In part, that is a matter of style: a handsome, athletically built 35-year-old, Mr. Shugairi effortlessly mixes deep religious commitment with hip, playful humor. He earned an M.B.A. during his California years, and he sometimes refers to Islam as "an excellent product that needs better packaging."
But his message of sincere religious moderation is tremendously powerful here. For young Arabs, he offers a way to reconcile a world painfully divided between East and West, pleasure and duty, the rigor of the mosque and the baffling freedoms of the Internet.
"He makes us attached to religion — sometimes with our modern life we get detached," said Imma al-Khalidi, a 25-year-old Saudi who burst into tears when Mr. Shugairi, uneasy with his rock-star departure from the auditorium, returned to the hall to chat with a group of black-clad and veiled young women. There was an audible intake of breath as the women saw him emerge. A few bold ones walked forward, but most hung back, seemingly stunned.
"Before, we used to see only men behind a desk, like judges," Ms. Khalidi said.
Mr. Shugairi is not the first of his kind. Amr Khaled, an Egyptian televangelist, began reaching large audiences eight years ago. But the field has expanded greatly, with each new figure creating Internet sites and Facebook groups where tens of thousands of fans trade epiphanies and links to YouTube clips of their favorite preachers.
Mr. Shugairi's main TV program, "Khawater" ("Thoughts"), could not be more different from the dry lecturing style of so many Muslim clerics. In one episode on literacy, the camera follows Mr. Shugairi as he wanders through Jidda asking people where to find a public library (no one knows). In another, he pokes through a trash bin, pointing to mounds of rotting rice and hummus that could have been donated for the poor. He even sets up "Candid Camera"-style gags, confronting people who pocket a wallet from the pavement and asking them if the Prophet Muhammad would have done the same.
At times, his program resembles an American civics class disguised as religion, complete with lessons on environmental awareness and responsible driving.
Criticized From Both Sides
Inevitably, hard-line clerics dismiss Mr. Shugairi as a lightweight who toadies to the West. From the other side, some liberals lament that Mr. Shugairi and the other satellite sheiks are Islamizing the secular elite of the Arab world.
And while most of these broadcast preachers, including Mr. Shugairi, promote a moderate and inclusive strain of Islam, others do not. There are few controls in the world of satellite television, where virtually anyone can take to the air and preach as he likes on one of hundreds of channels.
[The complete article can be found in the 1/3/09 NY Times -JRK]
By ROBERT F. WORTH
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — As Ahmad al-Shugairi took the stage, dressed in a flowing white gown and headdress, he clutched a microphone and told his audience that he had no religious training or titles: "I am not a sheik."
But over the next two hours, he worked the crowd as masterfully as any preacher, drawing rounds of uproarious laughter and, as he recalled the Prophet Muhammad's death, silent tears. He spoke against sectarianism. He made pleas for women to be treated as equals. He talked about his own life — his seven wild years in California, his divorce, his children — and gently satirized Arab mores.
When he finished, the packed concert hall erupted in a wild standing ovation. Members of his entourage soon bundled him through the thick crowd of admirers to a back door, where they rushed through the darkness to a waiting car.
"Elvis has left the building," Mr. Shugairi joked, in English, as he relaxed into his seat.
Mr. Shugairi is a rising star in a new generation of "satellite sheiks" whose religion-themed television shows have helped fuel a religious revival across the Arab world. Over the past decade, the number of satellite channels devoted exclusively to religion has risen from 1 to more than 30, and religious programming on general interest stations, like the one that features Mr. Shugairi's show, has soared. Mr. Shugairi and others like him have succeeded by appealing to a young audience that is hungry for religious identity but deeply alienated from both politics and the traditional religious establishment, especially in the fundamentalist forms now common in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In part, that is a matter of style: a handsome, athletically built 35-year-old, Mr. Shugairi effortlessly mixes deep religious commitment with hip, playful humor. He earned an M.B.A. during his California years, and he sometimes refers to Islam as "an excellent product that needs better packaging."
But his message of sincere religious moderation is tremendously powerful here. For young Arabs, he offers a way to reconcile a world painfully divided between East and West, pleasure and duty, the rigor of the mosque and the baffling freedoms of the Internet.
"He makes us attached to religion — sometimes with our modern life we get detached," said Imma al-Khalidi, a 25-year-old Saudi who burst into tears when Mr. Shugairi, uneasy with his rock-star departure from the auditorium, returned to the hall to chat with a group of black-clad and veiled young women. There was an audible intake of breath as the women saw him emerge. A few bold ones walked forward, but most hung back, seemingly stunned.
"Before, we used to see only men behind a desk, like judges," Ms. Khalidi said.
Mr. Shugairi is not the first of his kind. Amr Khaled, an Egyptian televangelist, began reaching large audiences eight years ago. But the field has expanded greatly, with each new figure creating Internet sites and Facebook groups where tens of thousands of fans trade epiphanies and links to YouTube clips of their favorite preachers.
Mr. Shugairi's main TV program, "Khawater" ("Thoughts"), could not be more different from the dry lecturing style of so many Muslim clerics. In one episode on literacy, the camera follows Mr. Shugairi as he wanders through Jidda asking people where to find a public library (no one knows). In another, he pokes through a trash bin, pointing to mounds of rotting rice and hummus that could have been donated for the poor. He even sets up "Candid Camera"-style gags, confronting people who pocket a wallet from the pavement and asking them if the Prophet Muhammad would have done the same.
At times, his program resembles an American civics class disguised as religion, complete with lessons on environmental awareness and responsible driving.
Criticized From Both Sides
Inevitably, hard-line clerics dismiss Mr. Shugairi as a lightweight who toadies to the West. From the other side, some liberals lament that Mr. Shugairi and the other satellite sheiks are Islamizing the secular elite of the Arab world.
And while most of these broadcast preachers, including Mr. Shugairi, promote a moderate and inclusive strain of Islam, others do not. There are few controls in the world of satellite television, where virtually anyone can take to the air and preach as he likes on one of hundreds of channels.
[The complete article can be found in the 1/3/09 NY Times -JRK]
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