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christine shahin
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christine recruited Siham to sign the petition | -
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christine signed the petition |
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christine commented on the article |http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Church_Tagged_With_Anti-Arab_Graffiti_Washington_DC.html
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christine commented on the article |
Dear David:
I read your "Letter to the citizens of Gaza from a concerned neighbor" - Since I received it in my blog update, I beleive others received it and have read it as well.
I think it was a good start. I know that you carry much hurt and so perhaps are having some challenges around expressing this hurt, that is very normal, we all are challenged this way around things that deeply impact us.
I thought perhaps I might be of service by tweeking the language of your letter so that you can better express your deep hurt, and the hurt of others, to be expressed, acknowledged and hopefully healed.
Since your letter was received through the blog update I think that I am not the only one who would have received it, yet it is no where to be found on the blog page...(not sure how that can happen but maybe I will discover how after posting this) Therefore I do not find it out of line to share here my amendments to your letter.
With Deep Conviction for Peace in our Homeland
Love, christine
A letter to the citizens of Gaza from a concerned neighbor
(tweeked by christine shahin)
Dear neighbor, My name is David and I live in Israel, thirty minutes (or one minute rocket time) from you, in a beautiful house by the woods, that used to be a place where your grandparents played with mine. I hope someday to have you over for a cup of tea. We have a lovely view from the balcony. On a clear day we can see our jets bombing your neighborhood.
I think it's time we had a heart to heart. It's time you knew the truth. After all, what are neighbors for? You might have wondered why both you and your parents were born in a refugee camp. Why is it that even though we live only 30 minutes apart, I live in prosperity and you live in poverty and filth? I hurt because you live in despair and hatred because of your unmet needs, which come spilling over into my own life. I want to live in hope and love, but I choose to demonize you and live in Fear of you because this land is so beautiful I know why you never wanted to leave it, neither do I.
You live in poverty not because you are evil and worthless but because we block your lives thoroughly – I am unable to feel compassion for this situation in your life because it would tear apart my belief system that you are human and I am victim. Your poverty is good because I have been taught and I continue to believe that there is lack in the world and if you prospered then it means that I would have to be poor and I don’t want to be poor. I have not yet allowed full comprehension that when I ensure a livable place for you in the world that I will never lack and always be blessed.
Here is the truth, neighbor: There really was a Holocaust, even though I never experienced it, it is something that I know you have, and understand from your personal daily lives. Even though my ancestors suffered so, it never gives me the right to expel others from the land and lives they so loved because I am not different from you really. Neither of us is to be forgiven any sin we may commit, no matter what our respective faiths may fill our heads and hearts with. Dear citizen of Gaza, the Holocaust really happened. Not very long ago. It happened. And guess what? I live in deep fear so that it's NEVER going to happen again, except I fear it is happening to you. I cut myself off from the realities of how this effects you – because if I did not I would not be able to accept these atrocities so that is why I allow you to live in terror so that I won’t, I am truly sorry. Your young boys taken into custody and tortured and released at will. Our people too experienced prod gram and now we share that experience with you. I know that safety is an illusion but is something I must believe in although my Faith teaches me to bow to no one or fear no one because The Divine is all I need, it’s hard to live that, I see you struggle with this too.
The time in history when Jews were led to slaughter, persecuted, raped and pillaged is over and will never recur, but we will never forget or forgive, Never, because to do so would mean to live in the Now and that is very scary.
Someone must pay for a Holocaust I never experienced yet you do daily. G-d knows someone has to and I am sorry but it can’t be me – I mean is it true that the whole world can live in Peace by putting weapon’s manufacturers, the only beneficiary of wars, out of business??
We now have our own country, I know you used to live here and I am sorry it had to happen this way; I am indebted to your sacrifice and promise to love and care for the land as if it were yours… although the amount of poison from all these toxic weapons we use on each other is collective suicide and when this is all over will continue to contaminate us both for decades if not longer! That’s the insane thing about modern weapons their toxicity knows no boundaries! The poisons go everywhere…
We now have the bombs; the USA gives us over 10 million of their tax payer dollars A DAY so we can live in prosperity and build walls to keep you out of food, medicine, school, work, life. I know the US must also give you weapons because they are making a TON of money with this neat money laundering scheme, pitting us against each other feeding each of us lies about each other and the American’s don’t get anything for their tax dollars either – truly an amazing situation don’t you think? Maybe we should not listen to them anymore and just create our own reality.
We will never forget what was done to our people because to do so we would feel their death was in vain and we love them dearly, as much as you love your families, and it’s hard for you to forget and let go too- still I know that one day – we will heal the past and walk into the future together. A wise and holy woman once told me that “the past was like defecating – you just flush it…”
We don't hate you. We don't hate anyone. Jews are a peaceful people. We don't want oil. We don't want to rape your women or murder your children. We never tried to force our religion on anyone. Our eternal capital, Jerusalem, is open to all faiths to love and to worship. We treat your Arab brothers who live among us as equals, both of our fathers is Abraham. Our hand has been extended to peace with our neighbors since day one, although I heard that many people were put to death in mass graves and other were given 24 hours to leave when solders pointed guns at them and their families, this truly is a sad situation. I did not know they did this to you for me. Time and time again through numerous negotiations and extensive compromises we have come; still I can relate that it must be difficult for you to have lived in a concentration camp for over 40 years. I know that Gaza is the most densely populated area on the planet, no wonder there is so much filth and without honorable work no wonder there is so much poverty! My heart aches for you because I know I could never tolerate such living conditions for a moment no less 40 + years! And if I could not tolerate such why would I think you could, there is so much we share in common.
We ask only for one thing, that you join us in forgiveness and peace. That's right. We have no other demands. Justice & peace. It's as simple as that. We have the money from our US slave masters so we can provide for your families as it does ours, we will compensate you for the loss of your land and homes which in turn will give us ferocious and merciful security. We will rebuild your homes and your cities. We will make your miserable lives miserable no more because as we know we share the same father Abraham and this healing will give him much joy. There is abundance for all of us; come home in peace.
Our soldiers are not motivated by hate but by determination, we have many who are now refusniks – such beautiful souls who recognize the oneness of all life and love but they are ridiculed, shunned, treated for insanity. We embrace life and will do anything to preserve it. Killing, stealing, and coveting is against our religious laws and we know that love is the only way to protect our land and our way of life. Let us not listen to those who wish to control our emotions with useless lies.
A terrorist is a terrorist. I know you know there are many forms of terrorism, that a terrorist is nothing more than a coward. Not a hero. Not a Shahid. There is nothing heroic in entering a Mosque with solders on Holy Day and creating havoc to insight trouble. Anybody can do that. Anybody can hide inside a school, mosque, temple, church and blindly fire rockets into cities, hoping to kill as many babies as possible. There is nothing courageous or admirable in these acts of cruelty. I understand because we too lived through such atrocities and I would never wish them on my worst enemy.
To take pride in an act of terror is pitiful and pathetic. I’ve heard you've been raised to believe the contrary, but I think with my heart and my heart tells me this is a lie. I have seen how your children are so profoundly hurt by our actions they would rather commit suicide. Your suicide bombers are glorified, I know this because we too romanticize and glorify our suffering to the point where no one else matters. This is tragically sad. A real hero recognizes that suffering is suffering and reaches out with compassion to alleviate it because not to, is abhorrent.
A real hero protects his people and will die for them but not among them, but I know how impossible this is because there is no space living under concentration and occupation to make that distinction. Israel exists and it belongs to the Jewish People. I've seen your school books. I know that Israel has been omitted from your maps, as we omit your country from ours. Contrary to what you've been told, the State of Israel really does exist. Look outside your window. We are here and we are not going anywhere, so we have decided instead of taking from you we will give you Just Compensation for the beautiful home of your ancestors that we now hold the keys to and live in. Why did we not think of this before! To give you what I would have wanted for myself, my home and land, a fair monetary compensation. I mean we could do this right? With the 10 +Million dollars we get every day!?? I am so very excited to realize that we can begin anew and we can live together for justice always creates peace!
Dear Palestinian neighbor, it's time to deal with the facts. We love our beautiful little country. We will protect it with our lives, you surely know this because every day you protect what little of this precious land you have with your lives too.
But still I live in Fear and Fear is dominating all I do so it is very difficult for us to allow you any land except for the small parcel with the millions of you on it. This was explained to you in 1948. We got your country and you got something…I know the acreage has been dwindling as our portion grows, so sorry that much of your life has been a repeat of the lives the indigenous population of America- the prime land was taken from you, you were set up and spoken to in forked tongues and some of your own people sold you out – we have that situation too. It’s amazing how similar our stories really are once we truly explore them isn’t it?
Thousands of lives have been lost for nothing. It's NEVER going to happen! I realize that you have been yearning for return to your homeland and there are so many people on the few miles where you are that nurturing it is challenging, we have built one of the most beautiful and successful countries on Earth with the 10 +million dollars a day we get from the USA!
We've planted forests and quenched the desert. We've drained wetlands and culivated fields. We built universities, opera houses, superhighways, hospitals, skyscrapers and stadiums again with the wonderful taxpayer moneys of the great West – we are so very grateful to them because if we did not have this money we would not be able to do all of these amazing things, we would not be able to exist! Wow now THAT IS SCARY!
We have millions of refugees, but no refugee camps. We promise to break down the walls and give you the ability for fair wage employment, medicine, and food. This takes love, hard work and determination. We can help. We have experts and scientists helping developing nations across the globe. I am happy that today we can lay down our weapons and join together in making this great region of the planet even greater.
Shalom, Salaam,
David from Soragim, Israel (tweeked by Christine Shahin, US citizen with family in Beirut) -
christine commented on the article |
David - I received the notice of your blog Letter to the Citizens of Gaza from a concerned Neighbor - but it is not on the blog page?
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christine commented on the article |
And Michael - sorry I meant to say Sweet Brothers David & Michael
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American Near East Refugee Aid1 Action 3 Recruits
