Hope in the Resurrected Christ
by Jonathan Kuttab
Orthodox Christians just celebrated Easter in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and the rest of Palestine.
As in each year, Easter comes with joy and coincides with the coming of spring and the end of the winter doldrums. The weather is wonderful, trees are beginning to bud, wild flowers bloom all over the countryside, and the fresh smell of spring fills the air. It also marks the end of the mournful, wrenching recollections of Passion Week, with the suffering of Jesus, his betrayal by his disciples, the scattering of the crowds, who once sang “hosanna” at his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, leading to his arrest and the events of Good Friday (“Sad Friday” as it is called in Arabic). Jesus had been tried, humiliated, abandoned, tortured, crucified and buried. All hopes for his ministry were dashed, and his followers were disheartened, scared, hidden away, and scattered. Then, suddenly, there was the turn around with his glorious Resurrection on Sunday Morning.
The reinstated African American Tennessee congressman, Justin Pearson, who had been ejected from his seat by the Republican supermajority defiantly proclaimed upon his return: “We knew that Sunday was coming!”
In a similar vein, Palestinians often feel that they are experiencing the Friday of their national lives. They have been exiled, occupied, and oppressed. Their leaders are weak, ineffective, and even betraying Palestinian national aspirations. The Arab world seems to have forgotten about us, running after the material prizes of “normalization” with Israel, and Israel openly flouts the international community while openly asserting a credo of Jewish-supremacy. Prospects for liberation, statehood, and freedom seem further away than ever before, and threats of a Second Nakba are openly made by Israeli leaders like Smotrich and Ben Gvir. We see settler attacks increasing daily, with total impunity, and shootings and the horrific practice of “verifying the kill” of wounded Palestinians occurring at an average of one per day. Palestinians would be totally justified in giving up and surrendering, declaring their cause to be hopeless.
For Palestinian Christians (and Muslims as well) surrender is not an option. We maintain our belief in the sovereignty of God and the eventual victory of good over evil, and—against all odds—the vindication of our just cause.
For me, this improbable faith is rooted in my understanding of the Resurrection. Paradoxically, Christ vanquished the forces of evil arrayed against him, and even death itself, by dying on the cross. Since that momentous day, the resurrection has sustained Christians in the most oppressive and impossible of situations. The martyrs, whose blood fueled the meteoric rise and spread of Christianity in the first centuries, died joyously in the firm belief that the main battle had already been won and the outcome had already been determined. The Catholic Church divided its members into the Church militant (those still fighting the forces of evil) and the church triumphant (those who had died in Christ in the hope of the resurrection). Though they still faced the Friday of their persecution and powerlessness, they knew that Sunday was coming.
The traditional Easter greeting, which people continue to use until the day of Pentecost, is Al Maseeh Qam! (Christ is risen!) and the response is an emphatic Haqqan Qam! (Truly he is Risen!). It is uttered with a conviction that flows from deep within our guts. It is not a plaintive, wishful fantasy but a firm conviction.
It is that faith that enables us to persist under unbelievable odds. It is the fuel that drives our determination to seek a just solution. It is the dynamo that propels our efforts to seek a better world and work for outcomes that more closely approximate the Kingdom of God and its values and principles.
We know that we are living in a broken world, and we do not underestimate the forces arrayed against us nor the challenges facing us. We also do not merely seek to inflict pain on our enemies or seek a victory of our side over the other, but we proclaim the Kingdom of God with peace, equality, and justice for all. It is no wonder that the apostle Paul proclaimed the resurrection to be the central teaching of Christianity, saying that if Christ is not risen then our faith and our teachings are in vain.
Therefore, we cannot despair or give up. We must maintain our hope as we proclaim in this season:
Al Maseeh Qam! Haqqan Qam!
Take Action!
Freedom to Worship: A Call of the Churches
We are calling upon organizations and churches to stand with the churches of Palestine in their rejection of recent restrictions on their religious freedoms and the attacks on their houses of worship, cemeteries, and clergy.
Take a Stand Against Islamophobia
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has released statements on no less than 7 different Islamophobic incidents in North America. Between hateful tweets by State Representatives to threats towards the Islamic Society of Markham mosque in Ontario, and the word "Allah" on the Dr. Hani Awadallah school in New Jersey being vandalized twice in one week, we feel alarmed at the hatred targeting Muslim communities across North America.
These are painful reminders that we must educate ourselves and future generations on how to embrace diversity and be inclusive of all.
FOSNA strongly opposes and condemns all forms of Islamophobia. We believe it is essential to stand in solidarity with and build community with our Muslim neighbors and encourage you all to do the same.
As you may know, our national organizer Pastor Chad Collins has been working with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh to get the Muslim and Christian communities together united in a time of fasting and prayer. He hosted members of the Islamic Center at Valley View Church, and this week the Islamic Center hosted an iftar for members of Valley View Church! We hope that this exchange can serve as inspiration for building an accepting, interfaith community.
In honor of Eid al-Fitr, we suggest taking some time to learn ways to be an ally to Muslims. As a starting point, you can:
Learn about Islamic teachings and traditions, and engage in regular dialogue with Muslims.
Attend events organized by Muslim communities and invite Muslims to your events.
Challenge stereotypes and hate speech when you encounter it.
Report discrimination and hate crimes.
Be aware of and actively challenge Islamophobic legislation.
Join us in this initiative and take a stand against Islamophobia!
FOSNA News
Buy Sabeel's New Book
This week Sabeel released a new book titled "This is Where we Stand: A Sabeel Reflection on Antisemitism." Use the link below to buy a physical copy for a limited time only, or buy it in PDF form here.
The foundations on which we struggle against Palestinian oppression are the same foundations on which we are committed to fighting against antisemitism.
Easter 2023
FOSNA’s 2023 Easter Appeal is here! Thank you so much to all of our supporters. Please go read our message from co-founder Samia Khoury and consider giving today with the link below.
Visit Palestine With Us This Summer
We are hosting a witness trip with Sabeel led by Jonathan Kuttab this July! Experience the resilience and struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people. If you are curious and interested in joining please fill out the form below and share it with anyone who may be interested in being part of this journey. We will contact you very soon!
Get Involved
May 4: Online
ICMEP Presents: Interview with Sandra Tamari
Sandra Tamari is a Palestinian organizer and the Executive Director of Adalah Justice Project. She is a co-founder of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee and was co-chair of the Steering Committee for the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (2015-2018). Sandra was the Palestinian liaison with the St. Louis Black community when Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson, MO in 2014. Adalah Justice Project is a Palestinian-led organization working to achieve collective liberation, rooted in the conviction that linking US policy abroad and repressive state practices at home is crucial to shifting the balance of power.
Join us on Zoom at 1:00pm Eastern for this interview.
May 6: Online
NorCal Sabeel Presents: TEA for Palestine
Support the new Palestine Studies Program at U.C. Berkeley and Pal Trek. Music by ASWAT, the premier Arab music ensemble.
Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza continue to live under an increasingly horrifying Israeli apartheid regime. This TEA for Palestine: Truth, Education, Action is a fundraising event to support future leaders in the U.S. who will mobilize their talents on behalf of Palestinian rights. The SF Bay Area premier Arab music ensemble, ASWAT, will be playing and there will be delicious refreshments. Please join us! If you can’t join us, please consider making a donation. All expenses associated with this event are donated.
All funds collected are tax exempt and will be directed to the new Palestine Studies Initiative at U.C. Berkeley and to Pal Trek.
The Palestine Studies Initiative has been launched after two years of preparation. It is a groundbreaking effort, and organizers are now raising funds and preparing for its first course offerings under the Department of Ethnic Studies.
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem:
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! (Week 16) Administrative Detention. This Palestinian Prisoners Day, April 17, let us remember the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners. At the end of 2019, 464 of these prisoners were being held through administrative detention. Through administrative detention, Palestinian detainees can be held indefinitely, with few legal rights. Here’s what you need to know about administrative detention and what you can do so that together we can rise up.