Beirut centre brings Christians and Muslims together in face of war
-20/08/06
Although
Beirut centre brings Christians and Muslims together in face of war
-20/08/06
Although fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah has ravaged and immobilized southern Lebanon, the Contact and Resource Centre (CRC), Beirut, has managed to continue its mission of bringing together Christians, Muslims and others to meet the needs of people living with disabilities who are left vulnerable, physically and emotionally, in Lebanon.
An institution founded in response to a 16-year civil war in Lebanon that ended in 1991, the CRC works to enhance the quality of life and secure a better future for people living with disabilities. Among its many ministries, the CRC – a companion initiative of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) – has sponsored reconciliation dialogues, which have united Christians and Muslims, disabled and able-bodied, to share their hopes for themselves and their country’s future. The CRC was founded by a Lutheran missionary in 1978.
“We have lived together, and we want to live together. Please realize that, in Lebanon, there is an opportunity for (all) to live together, for walking the road together, for not judging the other. I think the world is taking sides, and I don’t think a Christian should take sides,” said Agnes Dagher-Wakim, director of the CRC. In the midst of the current turmoil, there remains opportunity for the people of Lebanon and the rest of the world “all (to) live on one side,” she said.
“People come in all shapes and sizes and in all religions,” said Dagher-Wakim, who spoke from Beirut in a conference call with the ELCA News Service. With sounds of children playing in the background, a tearful Dagher-Wakim said, “I think all Muslims are good people. Christians are good people. But sometimes people judge from afar by (the) actions of a few. It is not a time to judge whether a Muslim is a terrorist or not. There is an opportunity here,” she said. “This is the most important time for the CRC to proclaim” a message of love, “where our actions do more than our words.”
According to Dagher-Wakim, 70 percent of the people who are suffering in southern Lebanon are Muslims. “This is not a civil war. Christians and Muslims are not fighting. It is not their fight. It is mostly Muslims who are being persecuted, and I say persecuted because I am here, and I know what is happening,” she said. “When a whole building is destroyed,” a high percentage of those killed “are children. This is persecution. You can’t imagine the horror of parents carrying their dead children. The world doesn’t see this. The world only sees people with beards, and people who are beating their breast with fists and shouting.”
ELCA International Disaster Response has reported this week that most of the casualties in southern Lebanon “have been innocent civilians.”
“At least 1,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, about 90 percent of whom are civilians. The United Nations says that about one-third of those killed or injured are children under the age of 13. More than 100 Israelis, most of them soldiers, have been killed,” said the Rev Y. Franklin Ishida, international leadership development, ELCA Global Mission.
“One-fourth of Lebanon’s population is displaced from their homes, of which an estimated 128,000 have taken shelter in public schools and institutions, causing a humanitarian crisis. Many are now attempting to return to their homes, some to see if their homes still exist after massive bombardments,” added Ishida.
Dagher-Wakim said many Muslims who fled the south are being received into Christian homes with love. “That is why I’m saying that it is time to walk together. This is the time to walk (together on) the road to Golgotha, stay together until (the) crucifixion and remain together for three more days until resurrection happens. This is the time for us to proclaim love, but it is going to take a lot of patience and hard work,” she commented.
“Now that the cease-fire is holding and people are beginning to move around the country, CRC will begin to move more freely where needed,” the Rev Said Ailabouni, director for Europe and Middle East, ELCA Global Mission, told the ELCA News Service. Ailabouni participated in the conference call.
“Up to this point the roads were blocked due to bombed-out bridges, and availability of gasoline was very limited. So, basically, CRC operated in a limited way by phone. Agnes was in constant contact with her staff and regular clients by phone. No one up to this point was moving around. They were all trying to stay safely indoors. The country was paralyzed and at a standstill,” he said.
Relief work in Lebanon has been carried out by a number of Christian denominations through Action by Churches Together (ACT) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).
MECC is a member of ACT — a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. ACT is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva. The ELCA is a member of ACT, the LWF and WCC.
At the end of the call, Ailabouni told Dagher-Wakim that she and the staff of the CRC are “the eyes of Jesus. You are the hands of Jesus, you are the heart of Jesus, and you are the feet of Jesus. And, the love of Jesus pours out from you to all of these people. And, they see Jesus in you.î
He went on: ìMay that Jesus, who is alive, bring life to your country, to the people – Muslims, Christians, Jews and everybody – and to the region, because (the conflict) needs to come to an end. This is just madness. In the 21st century to think that people still cannot resolve things through diplomacy. They have to use this awful violence. So, please share our love with the people you visit and talk with.”
Information about the Contact and Resource Centre is on the ECLA website.
[Also on Ekklesia: Mennonites join effort to rebuild in Lebanon 17/08/06; World church heads call for people-focussed Middle East vision 17/08/06; Israel-Palestine conflict is cause of Lebanon chaos say church leaders 15/08/06; Church appeals continue as violence shadows Lebanon ceasefire 14/08/06; Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams writes about Lebanon – 13 Aug 2006; Stop this insanity, say Australian church leaders 13/08/06; Sentamu to launch week-long York fast against violence 12/08/06; Ex-hostage and US church leader call on Abrahamic faiths for just-peace 11/08/06; Christian Peacemaker Teams activists face Israel military aid vigil charge 11/08/06; Church agency warns over unexploded munitions in Lebanon 09/08/06; Global church leaders make peace boat trip to Beirut 09/08/06; Palestinian refugee camp hit by Israeli bombing raid 09/08/06; Churches deplore killing of French aid workers in Sri Lanka 09/08/06; Mennonites respond to massive Lebanese humanitarian needs 09/08/06; World church leaders strongly condemn Middle East violence 08/08/06; Tony Blair phones Christian Aid director about Lebanon crisis 08/08/06; Hundreds of thousands march against the war in Lebanon 06/08/07 Cana mayor describes bombing horror and calls for Christian support 06/08/05; End this blind faith in violence, says WCC leader 04/08/06; Church group goes directly to Beirut to call for a ceasefire 03/08/06; Development agencies petition Tony Blair for an immediate ceasefire 02/08/06; Unite for MidEast peace, say US Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and Jews 01/08/07; Lebanon destruction a ‘crime against humanity’ says aid group 30/07/06; No way to security through fighting, says Holy Land bishop 29/07/06; Blair to press Bush for ceasefire as churches push for peace 28/07/06; Israel sees ceasefire hesitancy as a green light for its Lebanon bombing 27/07/06; Mennonites call on USA and Canada to pursue non-violent alternatives 27/07/06; Christian groups urge Blair to back ceasefire calls 26/07/06; South African churches propose bold Middle East conflict transformation process 26/07/06; Why violence cannot solve Lebanon or Gaza Strip showdowns 24/07/06; Christian Aid emergency appeal swings into action 24/07/06; Mennonites issue action alert on Middle East crisis 24/07/06; Middle East churches document and condemn Lebanon horror 23/07/06; US churches appeal to Bush as Israel seizes Lebanese village 23/07/06; Aid agencies say Blair must call for immediate Middle East ceasefire 22/07/06; WCC urges churches to support Middle East appeals 21/07/06; Churches redouble efforts and prayers for an end to Middle East hostilities 21/07/06; Williams laments Lebanon vicious spiral of violence 20/07/06; Gaza, Israel and Lebanon crises are imperilling Middle East security 19/07/06; Historic Galilee sites hit by rocket attacks 18/07/06; Pope condemns Lebanon raids as G8 converges and Blair blames Iran and Syria 17/07/06; Christians call for end to Lebanon violence as Israel vows revenge 16/07/06; Middle East Christians in anguish over Lebanon violence 14/07/06; Embattled Hezbollah backs Iraq ‘doves of peace’; Christian warnings substantiated as Israel targets Hamas; Ex-spy wages peace on terror in the Middle East]
Beirut centre brings Christians and Muslims together in face of war
-20/08/06
Although fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah has ravaged and immobilized southern Lebanon, the Contact and Resource Centre (CRC), Beirut, has managed to continue its mission of bringing together Christians, Muslims and others to meet the needs of people living with disabilities who are left vulnerable, physically and emotionally, in Lebanon.
An institution founded in response to a 16-year civil war in Lebanon that ended in 1991, the CRC works to enhance the quality of life and secure a better future for people living with disabilities. Among its many ministries, the CRC – a companion initiative of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) – has sponsored reconciliation dialogues, which have united Christians and Muslims, disabled and able-bodied, to share their hopes for themselves and their country’s future. The CRC was founded by a Lutheran missionary in 1978.
“We have lived together, and we want to live together. Please realize that, in Lebanon, there is an opportunity for (all) to live together, for walking the road together, for not judging the other. I think the world is taking sides, and I don’t think a Christian should take sides,” said Agnes Dagher-Wakim, director of the CRC. In the midst of the current turmoil, there remains opportunity for the people of Lebanon and the rest of the world “all (to) live on one side,” she said.
“People come in all shapes and sizes and in all religions,” said Dagher-Wakim, who spoke from Beirut in a conference call with the ELCA News Service. With sounds of children playing in the background, a tearful Dagher-Wakim said, “I think all Muslims are good people. Christians are good people. But sometimes people judge from afar by (the) actions of a few. It is not a time to judge whether a Muslim is a terrorist or not. There is an opportunity here,” she said. “This is the most important time for the CRC to proclaim” a message of love, “where our actions do more than our words.”
According to Dagher-Wakim, 70 percent of the people who are suffering in southern Lebanon are Muslims. “This is not a civil war. Christians and Muslims are not fighting. It is not their fight. It is mostly Muslims who are being persecuted, and I say persecuted because I am here, and I know what is happening,” she said. “When a whole building is destroyed,” a high percentage of those killed “are children. This is persecution. You can’t imagine the horror of parents carrying their dead children. The world doesn’t see this. The world only sees people with beards, and people who are beating their breast with fists and shouting.”
ELCA International Disaster Response has reported this week that most of the casualties in southern Lebanon “have been innocent civilians.”
“At least 1,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, about 90 percent of whom are civilians. The United Nations says that about one-third of those killed or injured are children under the age of 13. More than 100 Israelis, most of them soldiers, have been killed,” said the Rev Y. Franklin Ishida, international leadership development, ELCA Global Mission.
“One-fourth of Lebanon’s population is displaced from their homes, of which an estimated 128,000 have taken shelter in public schools and institutions, causing a humanitarian crisis. Many are now attempting to return to their homes, some to see if their homes still exist after massive bombardments,” added Ishida.
Dagher-Wakim said many Muslims who fled the south are being received into Christian homes with love. “That is why I’m saying that it is time to walk together. This is the time to walk (together on) the road to Golgotha, stay together until (the) crucifixion and remain together for three more days until resurrection happens. This is the time for us to proclaim love, but it is going to take a lot of patience and hard work,” she commented.
“Now that the cease-fire is holding and people are beginning to move around the country, CRC will begin to move more freely where needed,” the Rev Said Ailabouni, director for Europe and Middle East, ELCA Global Mission, told the ELCA News Service. Ailabouni participated in the conference call.
“Up to this point the roads were blocked due to bombed-out bridges, and availability of gasoline was very limited. So, basically, CRC operated in a limited way by phone. Agnes was in constant contact with her staff and regular clients by phone. No one up to this point was moving around. They were all trying to stay safely indoors. The country was paralyzed and at a standstill,” he said.
Relief work in Lebanon has been carried out by a number of Christian denominations through Action by Churches Together (ACT) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).
MECC is a member of ACT — a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. ACT is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva. The ELCA is a member of ACT, the LWF and WCC.
At the end of the call, Ailabouni told Dagher-Wakim that she and the staff of the CRC are “the eyes of Jesus. You are the hands of Jesus, you are the heart of Jesus, and you are the feet of Jesus. And, the love of Jesus pours out from you to all of these people. And, they see Jesus in you.î
He went on: ìMay that Jesus, who is alive, bring life to your country, to the people – Muslims, Christians, Jews and everybody – and to the region, because (the conflict) needs to come to an end. This is just madness. In the 21st century to think that people still cannot resolve things through diplomacy. They have to use this awful violence. So, please share our love with the people you visit and talk with.”
Information about the Contact and Resource Centre is on the ECLA website.
[Also on Ekklesia: Mennonites join effort to rebuild in Lebanon 17/08/06; World church heads call for people-focussed Middle East vision 17/08/06; Israel-Palestine conflict is cause of Lebanon chaos say church leaders 15/08/06; Church appeals continue as violence shadows Lebanon ceasefire 14/08/06; Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams writes about Lebanon – 13 Aug 2006; Stop this insanity, say Australian church leaders 13/08/06; Sentamu to launch week-long York fast against violence 12/08/06; Ex-hostage and US church leader call on Abrahamic faiths for just-peace 11/08/06; Christian Peacemaker Teams activists face Israel military aid vigil charge 11/08/06; Church agency warns over unexploded munitions in Lebanon 09/08/06; Global church leaders make peace boat trip to Beirut 09/08/06; Palestinian refugee camp hit by Israeli bombing raid 09/08/06; Churches deplore killing of French aid workers in Sri Lanka 09/08/06; Mennonites respond to massive Lebanese humanitarian needs 09/08/06; World church leaders strongly condemn Middle East violence 08/08/06; Tony Blair phones Christian Aid director about Lebanon crisis 08/08/06; Hundreds of thousands march against the war in Lebanon 06/08/07 Cana mayor describes bombing horror and calls for Christian support 06/08/05; End this blind faith in violence, says WCC leader 04/08/06; Church group goes directly to Beirut to call for a ceasefire 03/08/06; Development agencies petition Tony Blair for an immediate ceasefire 02/08/06; Unite for MidEast peace, say US Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and Jews 01/08/07; Lebanon destruction a ‘crime against humanity’ says aid group 30/07/06; No way to security through fighting, says Holy Land bishop 29/07/06; Blair to press Bush for ceasefire as churches push for peace 28/07/06; Israel sees ceasefire hesitancy as a green light for its Lebanon bombing 27/07/06; Mennonites call on USA and Canada to pursue non-violent alternatives 27/07/06; Christian groups urge Blair to back ceasefire calls 26/07/06; South African churches propose bold Middle East conflict transformation process 26/07/06; Why violence cannot solve Lebanon or Gaza Strip showdowns 24/07/06; Christian Aid emergency appeal swings into action 24/07/06; Mennonites issue action alert on Middle East crisis 24/07/06; Middle East churches document and condemn Lebanon horror 23/07/06; US churches appeal to Bush as Israel seizes Lebanese village 23/07/06; Aid agencies say Blair must call for immediate Middle East ceasefire 22/07/06; WCC urges churches to support Middle East appeals 21/07/06; Churches redouble efforts and prayers for an end to Middle East hostilities 21/07/06; Williams laments Lebanon vicious spiral of violence 20/07/06; Gaza, Israel and Lebanon crises are imperilling Middle East security 19/07/06; Historic Galilee sites hit by rocket attacks 18/07/06; Pope condemns Lebanon raids as G8 converges and Blair blames Iran and Syria 17/07/06; Christians call for end to Lebanon violence as Israel vows revenge 16/07/06; Middle East Christians in anguish over Lebanon violence 14/07/06; Embattled Hezbollah backs Iraq ‘doves of peace’; Christian warnings substantiated as Israel targets Hamas; Ex-spy wages peace on terror in the Middle East]