CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Palestinians working for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East are not featured in most international news reports, according to the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine).
In a Feb. 6 interview, Younan said most media outlets portray a "wrong image" of Palestinians -- that they are "terrorists" who "should not exist." He called that portrayal "dehumanizing" and a "mass media war."
The dehumanization is "counterproductive" to negotiation efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, Younan contended. He said international media should "show the right face of the Palestinian." Most of the world does not know about the "90 percent of Palestinians who are seeking justice, peace and reconciliation or two-state resolution."
Younan said some international editorial writers and political leaders, including some in the United States, have "linked" Palestinians to the Taliban. He said any linkage between "Palestinians and the Taliban is not acceptable. We are not the Taliban."
"Osama bin Laden does not care for the Palestinian cause. To make an analogy that Mr. Yassar Arafat is against the American administration and like Bin Laden is wrong. Mr. Arafat is with the American administration, not against it," Younan said.
"The source of all problems" for Palestinians in the Middle East is Israeli occupation, said Younan. "What has developed is spiraling violence and spiraling hatred. As a church leader, I believe that the violence must end," he said.
"Palestinians want to live in a civil, democratic and modern society. That is what we want as Palestinians," he said. "End occupation, everything will end. Then, United Nations resolutions can be implemented. But, as long as occupation [remains], nothing will develop," he said.
Younan said members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) "continue to walk" with members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine). "We appreciate that accompaniment," he said during a visit at the ELCA churchwide office here Feb. 6. Younan's visit to the United States included meeting with Jewish leaders here and in New York.
During the visit to the ELCA, Catherine I.H. Braasch, executive director, Women of the ELCA, presented Younan a $5,000 grant to support schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine). Braasch was part of an ELCA delegation that visited Palestine in November 2001.
"When we visited the schools and other ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan, there were times when we simply did not have the words to describe what we saw and felt," Braasch said, "yet the words must be found and spoken."
"The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan is speaking the gospel of hope powerfully, daily, through the witness of its schools, congregations and other ministries. This grant is accompanied by much prayer and gratitude for the witness of Palestinian Lutherans, especially through the schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan," she said.
The 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly called for an end to suicide bombings, urged international protection for Palestinian people in Israeli-occupied territories and acknowledged the "pain and suffering" of all involved in Middle East tensions. -- -- --
Resources about the Middle East are maintained at http://www.elca.org/co/mideast.html on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
