Mormon Palestinian

[MikeWaters]

http://headlife.blogspot.com/unitedb...lestinian.html

http://headlife.blogspot.com/unitedb...an-mormon.html

http://headlife.blogspot.com/unitedb...in-turkey.html

http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/...-and-the-wall/

Emblematic of Mormon life in the Holy Land is Sahar, a young Palestinian woman and member of the church. Whilst living in Israel one summer, I arranged to meet her in Ramallah in the West Bank, but Sahar made the effort to come to Jerusalem. This was not easy, as all Palestinians require a permit to enter Israel. She lined up early that morning with a letter of recommendation from the LDS district president. The permit allowed her to stay until sundown.

Sahar grew up in a Christian-Arab family near Bethlehem. Despite coming from a good family, she tells a life story full of despair. Her experiences as a Palestinian in the West Bank, including seeing a boy shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, were not conducive to a positive view of Israel or the Israeli people. “There was so much hate,” she admits, “that I even considered becoming a suicide bomber.”

Things began to change for Sahar in 1994. She had been offered a generous and prestigious scholarship to study at the American University in Washington D.C., and was all set to go when she saw an advertisement for BYU in the local newspaper. “I had no idea what BYU was, where Utah was or who the Mormons were,” she recalls, “but something told me to apply.” She was accepted but the scholarship was considerably less than that offered by the American University. Logic suggested that she reject BYU’s offer but she could not shake the impression that she should go to Provo. She decided to pray about it: “My prayers had been meaningless up to this point. After this particular prayer, I had this strong feeling in my heart that I could not deny, saying that I should go to BYU.”

After becoming acquainted with the Church at BYU, and despite tremendous opposition from her family, Sahar decided to be baptised. She then returned to Palestine. Sahar is not optimistic that there will ever be peace in the Holy Land but has managed to find peace within. “I was full of so much hate and despair, even as a Christian, before I joined the church. There may not be peace in this land, but now there is peace in me.”

In support of this she recounted a story. A couple of years ago, while on her way to church in Jerusalem, she was going through a checkpoint when she was turned back by an Israeli soldier. Years of pain and hatred welled up within her. “I looked at him and I could not love him,” she said. “After joining the Church, much of my hatred for Israelis – particularly the soldiers – had eased, but I could not love him. Then I remembered a scripture I had read in Matthew where Christ says, ‘love your enemies,’ and it bothered me. ‘He’s a child of God’, I thought. ‘Why can’t I love him?’ So I made it my goal to love these people.”

After a year of fasting and prayer she came to the point where she could honestly say that she felt love for Israeli soldiers. “In that sense being a Mormon has changed the way I look at things.”

For Sahar, only the power of the Gospel was able to motivate her to love her enemy. Long ago we all accepted that life would hurt, that some, like Sahar, would be born into the difficult world of the Occupied Territories, that others, like the soldier, would be born into a country that faces the constant threat of terrorism. We happily chose to accept these risks because within them lie the seeds of eternal life. Sahar’s forgiveness has made her more Christlike. This is the challenge and blessing of the fallen world.

As Mormon Christians, we celebrate at Christmas a God who came to Earth to descend below all things so he can succor us in our infirmities (Alma 7:12). The bright hope of Bethlehem and the wickedness of Golgotha place God on the same path we tread. Where there is gold, there are also thorns; where there is frankincense, there is a cross; where there is myrrh, there is the tomb.

This, brothers and sisters, is life. May we endure it and enjoy it, and arrive at the veil wiser, happier, stronger — more like God. Happy Christmas!

^ http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2007/...and-christmas/

[MikeWaters]

Mormon supporters of the occupation, settlements, the security wall, and economic embargo ought to read this.

Bethlehem:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...=10&iwloc=addr

Imagine a mortar entombing Sahar, when you thrust your arm into the air, thinking "Don't f**k with the Jews" (as has been put into print by a media member in the United States).

[exUte]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Mormon supporters of the occupation, settlements, the security wall, and economic embargo ought to read this.

Bethlehem:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...=10&iwloc=addr

Imagine a mortar entombing Sahar, when you thrust your arm into the air, thinking "Don't f**k with the Jews" (as has been put into print by a media member in the United States).

I support Israel kicking the crap out of the folks who have lofted bombs towards Israel on a daily basis. Someone does that to my home, odds are they will likely meet the same end.

BTW..........wonder why NO ONE in the Arab world is coming to their defense? Palestinians are the Arabs' human shields.