Nonviolence from the bottom up by Sami Awad | The Middle East Channel

Nonviolence from the bottom up by Sami Awad | The Middle East Channel.

Some Picutres of the Palm Sunday Demonstration

Hosanna

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Christ at the Checkpoint Conference

Please find below a link to the presentation I gave at the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference in Bethlehem.

http://www.holylandtrust.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=551&Itemid=90

When Leaders Lead

For many years, Palestinians have engaged in nonviolent actions aimed at resisting the Israeli military occupation and its violent and humiliating policies aimed at suppressing the will of the Palestinians in seeking to achieve their legitimate aspirations.

Villages and communities have nonviolently protested for several years, and on weekly bases, if not sometimes daily, the stealing of their land in order to build the illegal separation wall or illegal settlements. From Budrus, to Bilien, to Ma’sara, to Gaza we saw and witnessed actions that not only resisted the occupation but also exposed the brutality of the occupation to both the international community and to even Israeli society itself. All these actions were powerful and many protestors were arrested, injured of even became martyrs for Palestine and in the name of nonviolence.

World March for Peace and Nonviolence comes to Bethlehem

October 14, 2009

Just Peace Campaign

I have just returned from the United Kingdom where I was one of several speakers at the Annual Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham (27-30 August). Greenbelt (www.greenbelt.org.uk) describes itself as an “independent Christian festival working to express love, creativity and justice in the arts and contemporary culture in the light of the Christian gospel.” It was a great honor and privilege to be with thousands upon thousands of people seeking to discover how we can truly live God’s word in today’s world.

Playing For Change: Song Around the World “Stand By Me”

Palestine Summer Encounter 2009

Palestine Summer Encounter is a one to three month service learning and cultural immersion program in Bethlehem, Palestine. Participants study Arabic in and outside of the classroom setting, live with a Palestinian host family, volunteer and meet with both Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers.

http://www.palestinesummer.org

The April 23rd registration deadline for the Palestine Summer Encounter program is rapidly approaching. We encourage anyone hoping to join us this summer to apply as soon as possible to reserve their spot in the program.

There will also be some exciting changes this year:

1) We are now awarding a limited number of needs-based scholarships in the amount of $1,000. Info. and the scholarship application is at:
http://www.palestinesummer.org/peacefellows

These scholarships are still available! Please encourage anyone you think might be interested to apply.

2) We’re extending the academic focus of the program beyond Arabic. Participants will now also be able to participate in academic tracts like Nonviolence, Theology and the Land and the Politics of the Region. These tracts can be taken instead of, or in conjunction with, the arabic class.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SPREAD THE WORD!

a) Print out flyers
http://www.palestinesummer.org/download-flyer

b) Post it to your profile
On your profile page next to “update status” click on “Post Link” and then add this URL:
http://www.palestinesummer.org

We are also running a parallel volunteer program in Syria this summer. More info. at:
http://www.syriasummer.org

Thanks guys! Keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Peter Ryan
Middle East Fellowship

http://www.middleeastfellowship.org

(714) 529-1926
peter@middleeastfellowship.org

From the Broken Heart of Gaza …

Father Manuel Musallam, the Parish Priest of Gaza has written to the wider Church of God. His letter was made public in January 2009. It has inspired Garth to write this song, and others to help him put together these images to the go with the words and music. …

Personal Reflection on Gaza… A letter I Wrote to Friends….

In this period I did not take on an opportunity to travel to the peace research village in Tamera Portugal and be with a group of close friends that are engaging in a deep process to build what will be a Peace Research Village (PRV) in the Middle East…. For many reasons I was not able to travel, today I sent them the following reflection:

Dear beloved, dear community…

… I acknowledge that I am doing nothing and acknowledge that my presence here is not providing any relief to those in Gaza who are suffering or in the West Bank who are growing in hopelessness.

My presence here is mostly important for my internal development and growth and in preparing for the future, a future where real opportunities for peaceful coexistence based on equality are made available to all. Since this war on Gaza began, I have been in a deep process to distinguish my own emotions and reactions and even interpretations and identity from the reality, but more important it has been a process to distinguish the nails in my feet from my responsibilities for the future.

I hear and sense the pain and my heart breaks with the cry of every mother or father that lost a child or a child that lost a parent. At one point every time I saw a child from Gaza on television I saw the face of my daughters, Layaar or Larina.