| by Jonathan Kuttab (An early version of this post is from a talk given at an interfaith event at the Islamic Center in Paterson, NJ) Religion has been a major factor contributing to the ongoing resilience of the Palestinian people. As a Palestinian Christian, I am very aware of those elements in Palestinian Liberation Theology that have supported to Palestinian resilience. However, many of these same elements are also found in other religious traditions, including Islam and Judaism. The first element in this religious paradigm is the concept of “the sovereignty of God.” Christians, Muslims, and Jews believe that God is all powerful, all knowing, and ultimately in control of everything that happens. They may not understand what is happening, but there exists a deep faith that God is there with them in their suffering and in their troubles and that He ultimately has some purpose in all that happens to them. Muslims in particular have a very deep sense and acceptance of God’s will. In their most severe periods of loss, grief and suffering they always say, “Alhamdulillah,” praise be to God. “I lost my wife. My house was destroyed. My children were killed. But in all of this I continue to praise God and accept His will.” This type of acceptance, which we also find in the book of Job, is an amazing quality which I personally struggle with sometimes as a Christian. Yet, it does give one an element of hope when one believes truly that God is there, that He sees what is happening, that He is sovereign in the affairs of people, and that there is some purpose, some divine logic behind what is occurring. A second element, closely related to the first, one is the concept of ultimate accountability. In Hebrew, God is often referred to as “Dayyan Ha’ulam,” the judge of the world. In Islam, too, and Christianity, we find the concept of “the Day of Judgment,” of final accountability. Those who are evil and oppressive and cruel in this world will one day have to stand before God and be called to account for all their deeds, good or bad, while they were on this earth. Peter Beinart once wrote an article questioning how rabbis could sleep at night in the knowledge of what is happening in their name. He was referring to Gaza, which has the highest number of children amputees, and where deliberate starvation is being used as a weapon of war. He asks “Do these rabbis truly believe in God? Do they really know that one day they will be called to account for their complicity, if not approval, of what is happening in their name?” This is the concept of the Day of Judgment. That God will ultimately hold people to account for their deeds, as well as for their silence in the face of evil, is found in all three religions and it certainly gives Palestinians a basis for hope and resiliency. Third is the belief in a just God whose laws transcend the laws, rules and regulations of all earthly governments. Again, this is not unique to Christianity but is likewise found in Judaism and in Islam. Muslims frequently use the term “Allahu Akbar.” This is incorrectly translated into English as “God is great.” The Arabic word grammatically means, “God is greater than…” It is an assertion that God is greater than the government; greater than Washington and Tel Aviv; greater than the F-16 and the drones and Israeli technology and its bombs; greater than oppressive forces and cowardly allies. Allahu Akbar refers to the belief that a just God exists whose rules and requirements are based on justice and they transcend human governments, transcending the Empire and its structures of power. Fourth is the essential dignity and worth of human beings. Christians believe that we are all children of God and as such we have a special status that grants us dignity and inalienable human rights which all governments must respect and guarantee. Jews also believe that we are born in the image of God. The Israeli human rights organization B’tselem refers to this concept as a foundation for their work. Muslims refer to all humans as the servants or slaves of God (Abeed Allah) but the concept is the same. Male, female, rich, poor, black, white, people of different ethnicities and races are all equal before God and are all worthy of respect and dignity. This concept is the basis for rejecting racism, discrimination, slavery and apartheid, because if we are all children of God or servants of God, it is a sin against the unity of the Godhead to promote ideologies that mandate different laws and rules for different people and then justify enslavement, discrimination, racism, or inequality. Fifth, we must commit to charity and doing good. Zakat is a central pillar of Islam. In Judaism, giving alms or assisting the poor and the needy is essential. In Christianity, this requirement is raised to the level of love for the divine. Charity is not given out of pity but an honor and opportunity to serve Jesus. Jesus himself is seen as the one who is in need who is hungry, sick, and imprisoned. and we are told that in as much as we serve the least of these his brethren we are serving him and failure to provide for the needs of the unfortunate people is a failure to meet the needs of Christ himself when he crosses our path. Jim Wallace of Sojourners Magazine spoke about a food kitchen where those serving would pray at the beginning of each day, “Lord we know you are going to be passing through this food line today. Help us remember that and to treat you with dignity and respect.” So when Christians, Muslims, or Jews carry out charitable functions they are fulfilling a religious requirement. Palestinian hospitality looks back to the time when Abraham showed hospitality to angels, as is recorded in the Old Testament. Religious Jews are commanded to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt, and Christians have the story of the Good Samaritan where we are told that anyone in need is our neighbor and sibling whom we are required to assist. Finally, a foundational element of Palestinian Christian Liberation Theology is that of peace and nonviolence. There are elements in Judaism and Islam that point towards the value of peace and a preference for ending violence and war. Unfortunately, a majority of Christians throughout the world since the time of Constantine have found justifications for fighting, whether under the Just War theory, or obedience “government authority,” as well as in defense of one’s family and country. By contrast, the majority of Palestinian Christians today have taken Jesus’ admonition against war and violence as normative for their lives and do not accept any excuse for engaging in war and violence, no matter what the provocation. Nonviolence is a basic element in Palestinian Liberation theology and it gives great impetus for Palestinians to reject the logic of military power and armed resistance. This is a basic belief for Sabeel, and for FOSNA. I am neither a clergyman nor a theologian, but I am certain that the above elements in my own faith as well as those elements found in the faith of other Palestinians are a basic ingredient and explanation for their resilience in the face of unbearable suffering, enabling us to maintain hope in the face of unbelievable odds, and a faith in the possibility for a better future, for the ultimate victory of justice, and of a better future for all people. |
