Paul Calvert talks to Daoud Nassar, from Tent of Nations, a farm located South West of Bethlehem, about non-violent and constructive resistance.



Continued from page 3

Making The Holy Land A Symbol For Bringing People Together

Paul: You still have a sign that says 'We refuse to be enemies!'

Daoud: Yes I always say refusing to be an enemy is a non-violent and Christian way of resistance. Refusing to be an enemy is not a passive, but an active way of non-violent resistance.

We always believe, that in every human being there is good and bad. So, we always want to respect the good, but not accept the bad.

The idea of refusing to be an enemy is not a passive way, but an active way to tell the others what they are doing is unjust. To open a new perspective, people's eyes, hearts and ears to understand and realise that the other person you are talking about is a human being.

Paul: Why do you do what you do?

Daoud: I always say faith, love and hope is the combination of the work we are doing.

In a situation like that it's very hard to think in a positive way, it's very hard not to hate and it's very difficult to think positively. We need to have a strong faith, we need to have hope and hope is, I always say, not a passive hope but an active hope. In order to make tomorrow better I need to do my part. I need to do something, I need to stand up and act and of course without love we are destroyed.

That is why this combination is important to empower us to go through the difficulties and move forward.

Now the land has become a blessing for many people. So this is the idea, all things will go well for the people who love God and even in a very difficult situation we believe we can be a witness for other people.

Paul: What is your prayer for the farm, for the future?

Daoud: My grandparents, my father and uncle struggled to keep this farm and they never gave it up. They never came to a conclusion of "it's a hopeless case" and we are on the same path.

My father's dream was to devote his land for a project and he died before fulfilling his dream in 1976. So now what we are doing on the farm, with the Tent of Nations, is a fulfilment of my father's dream and the journey continues.

We talk about land from a negative perspective; land confiscation, struggle on land and conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. I think, hope and pray for the future to make the land, which is supposed to be the Holy Land, the land that connects people together and the ground for a better future, rather than a place where conflicts are. We have to think about the land from the positive perspective and understand that this is the land that our sisters, the prophets even as Christians and Jesus walked and every stone has a story to tell. That is why we need to focus on that, make the land a symbol for bringing people together, and this is my prayer for the future.

Paul: What is your website for people who would like to know more?

Daoud: www.tentofnations.orgCR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.