Published on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 by the Los Angeles Times
The Hope of a Victimized People
by George Bisharat
This essay was featured as the final segment of an on-line debate between George Bisharat and Judea Pearl that ran for five days as the “Dust-Up” website feature of the Los Angeles Times and its sister publications — Newsday, Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun.
My Palestinian family, in its tradition of compassion and hospitality, is not exceptional. During my last trip to the West Bank, I met a man whose parents had been driven out of what became Israel in 1948 and had settled in the Balata refugee camp outside Nablus. The Friday before, as he was taking his son to prayer, an Israeli tank suddenly wheeled into their empty street, spewing heavy machine-gun fire. The man saw his son stumble, then plunge face first into the stairs ahead of him. When the father reached him, the boy had swallowed his teeth and blood blossomed across his shirt. Within minutes he turned blue, his internal organs destroyed. Amid Abu Sayr, age 7, died before reaching the hospital. No protests nor disturbances had preceded this incident, and no one could explain the tank gunner’s zeal.
As the father related this to me and my companions, he saw my eyes film with tears. Then this humble man — a mechanic, as I recall — embraced me and patted my back. Two days after the most searing experience of his life, he offered comfort to me. “Just tell the world how they stole my heart,” he whispered gently. I was reminded, yet again, of the deep courage, resilience and magnanimity of the Palestinian people.
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Panel: Are Americans Obsessed with Islam
This is Iftekhar's personal blog. The ideas expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of organizations that he is associated with.
Moderating a panel presentation
Panel: Are Americans Obsessed with Islam
Hosting high school students at a mosque
Teaching an Elderhostel "Understanding Islam and Muslims" class
At the 1st Annual CAIR-PA Banquet with Ed Rendell and Ahmed Bedeir
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About Me
- Iftekhar Hussain
- Iftekhar is the Chair of the CAIR-PA Board of Directors and a member of the Executive Committee of CAIR-PA Philadelphia Chapter. He is engaged in local interfaith educational initiatives with a focus on 'Islam and the Middle East' and 'US Foreign Policy and the Muslim world'. On behalf of CAIR-PA, he has developed a 10-part course titled 'Understanding Islam and Muslims through History and Jurisprudence' and has taught it at churches, synagogues, mosques and local county night schools. He has presented this course at over 30 different venues over the past 6 years. Iftekhar serves as Friday prayer service leader at suburban mosques in the Delaware Valley. Iftekhar was born in Bangladesh, has lived in the Middle East and Europe and studied and obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at Texas A&M University and worked toward a PhD at Penn State University. He works as a consultant in the Pharmaceutical industry, traveling in Asia Pacific and Europe on business process re-engineering engagements. Iftekhar is married to Bushra Kourani for the past 14 years and has three children Yousef (age 12), Omar (age 11) and Huda (age 7).