Presbyterian “Pope” Addresses Sabeel Conference in Pasadena

By Pat and Samir Twair

The head of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel, was the keynote speaker at the Friends of Sabeel–North America conference held Nov. 15-16 at Pasadena’s First Presbyterian Church.

Reverend Abu-Akel, who was born in the Galilee, elicited laughter from his audience of more than 300 when he related a Muslim friend’s description of his new post as moderator of the 214th U.S. Presbyterian General Assembly as that of “Presbyterian Pope.”

Alluding to the conference theme, “What makes for Peace in the Holy Land: A Christian Perspective,” the cleric recalled that, last January, when he delivered the convocation for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday at his church in Atlanta, National Public Radio referred to the Palestinian-American Christian as a Muslim from the Galilee.

“The American mind doesn’t comprehend the existence of Palestinian Christians,” Reverend Abu-Akel stated. “How ironic that we were in the Holy Land 700 years before the Muslims came. The Presbyterians arrived in the Middle East in 1823 and became the largest Protestant body in Beirut.”

Calling on Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Anglicans and Presbyterians to speak out and make their presence known in the Holy Land, Rev. Abu-Akel ruefully acknowledged that, while the Presbyterian General Assembly is aware of what is happening in Israel/Palestine, the people in the pews are not.

If the U.S. is not going to stand on the issue of justice, the Presbyterian leader warned, it no longer will have credibility. During the 20th century, he pointed out, the Arab world viewed the British, French, Italians and Germans as colonial powers and admired the U.S. as the architect of democracy. Now, in the 21st century, he said, the U.S. is viewed as an imperial power.

According to Reverend Abu-Akel, four options are open to the Israelis and Palestinians: continuation of the status quo, to the detriment of both sides; forceful ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians; one state with one person, one vote; and a two-state solution.

The only solution to the tragic impasse, he argued, is for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to struggle against Israeli occupation of their land, align with the Jewish peace movement, encourage American Jews to see firsthand what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank, and for the Christian Church to champion the rights of the Palestinians.

Rev. Canon Naim Ateek, Jerusalem director of Sabeel Ecumenical Theology Center, and Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether, professor emeritus of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, conducted the opening session, entitled “A Christian Perspective on Peace in the Context of Current Realities.”

An inspiring concert was offered by Anglican priest and singer-songwriter Rev. Garth Hewitt. His songs, entitled “Bethlehem,” “Palestinians Are Humans,” “Deir Yassin,” and “Not in My Name” are available on CD.

Between songs, the Anglican cleric urged Christians to break their silence on the crimes being perpetrated in the Holy Land. “No Christian has protested the vandalization of Bethlehem, where the Field of the Shepherds has been cemented over, where Beit Sahour and Beit Jala are in the way of Israeli expansion,” he said.

On the conference’s second day, Dr. Glen Harold Stassen of Fuller Theological Seminary delivered an address on “The Power of Peacemaking Initiatives.” Eight workshops were offered on topics ranging from “What U.S. Christians Can Do: Action and Advocacy” to “Progressive Israeli and Jewish Perspectives on Peace.”

Sabeel is an ecumenical center in Jerusalem for Palestinian Liberation Theology which seeks to make the Gospel contextually relevant. In Arabic, Sabeel means “The Way” or “Spring of Water.”

Milton Viorst Discusses New Book

”I thought two states west of the Jordan River were inevitable, but my optimism has declined as I see how much the ultra-religious Zionists are willing to sacrifice—even the well being of Israel. Their numbers are not great, maybe 20 or 30 percent, but the depth of their zealotry makes me pessimistic.”

So said author Milton Viorst during a reception in the Brentwood home of Rabbi Elmer and Joan Beerman in honor of his latest book, What Shall I Do With This People?: Jews and the Fractious Politics of Judaism (Simon and Schuster, 2002).

Viorst said he took the title for his book from Exodus 17:4, as an exasperated Moses in Sinai cried out to God, “What shall I do with this people? Before long they will stone me.”

Whereas in his previous books, Sandcastles and In the Shadow of the Prophet, the author dealt with Islam’s struggle to meet the challenge of modernity, Viorst’s latest work explores the threat facing the Jewish people as the schism widens between the Orthodox rabbinate and enlightened Jews. “As a people, we’re in a lot of trouble,” stated Viorst, whose articles appear regularly in The New York Times and the New Yorker.

His latest book begins and ends with the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. “Rabin’s formula for peace that entailed the evacuation [by settlers] of the West Bank infuriated religious Zionists,” he stated. “Many Jews prefer to be a ‘people who dwells alone’… Rabin started modestly by proposing the dismantlement of the small settlement of Tell Rumeida near Hebron and moving the settlers to Kiryat Arba. The rabbis said no.”

Following a medieval concept that any Jew who relinquishes Jewish property deserves death, an extremist yeshiva student, Yigal Amir, targeted Rabin.

“Amir was a zealot who wouldn’t have acted without the backing of the rabbis,” Viorst opined.

Rabin, the only prime minister who tried to stop the settlements, paid for this decision with his life, Viorst said.

“The religious zealotry we’re experiencing is troubling to me,” he stressed. “Strong Jewish states existed before and they fell. Israel was originally established as a refuge, not as an expression of religious faith.”

While past book signings for Viorst’s tomes that were critical of Muslims were enthusiastic, the mood at the gathering for his critique on the crisis within Judaism was cool.

During the question-and-answer period Viorst was asked if he was implying that Jews are the biggest problem in the Middle East.

“Yes, they are the main obstacle,” he replied. “With the 200,000 settlers in the West Bank and another 250,000 ringing Jerusalem, it is impossible to imagine the creation of a Palestinian state. Until the problem of the settlements is settled there can be no peace.”

Noting that of the 200,000 settlers, 160,000 are secular Jews, another inquirer asked, “So what is the problem?”

“The essential dilemma is the majority are willing to leave if they are subsidized,” Viorst replied, “but the ardor of the minority extremists makes up for their deficiency in numbers. The religious Jews have a different agenda than that of the enlightened ones and they would never move to the Negev or elsewhere.”

Birthday of 12th Imam Observed

The Islamic Educational Center of Orange County celebrated the birthday of the 12th Imam after Ali, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, at an Oct. 20 banquet in the Hyatt Regency, Irvine.

More than 300 guests gathered for the reception and dinner highlighted by an address by Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini, founding imam of IECOC, and a talk by his father, Ayatolla Sayed Mortadha al-Qazwini.

Dr. Maher Hathout, senior adviser of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, delivered a talk on “Muslims’ Responsibilities in the Face of Present Challenges.”

A new reality has been imposed on American Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11, Dr. Hathout stressed. The Islamic presence in the U.S. must follow a long road, he acknowledged, but it is better than the limited options Muslims have in their countries of origin.

“If we were to speak this freely in our homelands, we would disappear,” stated the Egyptian-born cardiologist. “Be aware there are fanatics and opportunists who don’t want Muslims in the U.S. However, it is easier to deal with external enemies than with internal dangers.”

External dangers, he said, are fanatic right-wing Christians like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham who have the ear of President George W. Bush. Another threat comes from radical right-wing Jewish Orthodox militants.

Stating that no other group produces more talk about unity than the Muslims, Dr. Hathout said they are among the most disunited. Unity is not conformity, he noted. Most of all, he urged, Muslims should not buy into the self-righteous formula of failure that Shi’i are better than Sunni or vice versa.

Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles.