Daoud Nassar: A man refusing to be an enemy



Picture by Johannes Zang

 He is not a tall man. He sat quietly in the front of the room waiting for his turn to speak.  From the moment he opened his mouth, I knew that he was humble.  A man from a place very different than my home. A man with struggles greater than I have ever had to face.  Trying to find ways to hold on to the precious inheritance which was handed down to him.  There are those who are trying to force him and his family to leave a place that he holds dear. Home.  Land that was passed down from his grandfather to his father, and now he is the holder of the deed. An Arab Palestinian, and a Christian in a land surrounded by Jews and Muslims.  Opposition from nearly every side.  Walls are being built and the roads blocked. Years wasted in court trying to prove his legal claim to the land for which he holds dear.  Yet he refuses to hate, he will not give in or give up, violence is not an option. What can he do? Three things the man must possess.  Faith, hope, and love, but the greatest is love.  The man is Daoud Nassar. He is involved with Tent of Nations.  It is a non profit organization that promotes building bridges to bring communities together. Click here for a link to a video called, Love your enemies. Daoud is a man with a big heart and even greater faith.

Room for Hope: An evening learning about Palestine, art and cuisine

Last night, I attended an event called Room For Hope, Images of Courage and Redemptive Suffering in Contemporary Art along with a food sampler of Palestine. Just by chance I heard it advertised on NPR.  I thought that this would be a good way to learn more about Palestine.  Michael Spath was the guest speaker, who is a professor at IPFW, and has been to the Holy land many times.  

Here are two of the lovely hostesses in traditional Palestinian dress.  They explained what each dish was to the guests.

Delicious sweets with nuts and dates

Traditional grape leaves filled with meat

Kibbe is an appetizer filled with ground lamb and Bulgar wheat served with yogurt sauce. ( I ate three of these, they were delicious)

There were pastries filled with cheese, oregano, and spinach.  The ladies spent hours cooking for this event.  My hat is off to them for all of the hard work.

There was Hummus, Baba ghannouj, Tabbouleh,  Arab salad and many more items to choose from.

                The exhibit will be on display until the end of November.



Arab Spring by Taleb Dweik

There were several artists promoted in the exhibit: Taleb Dweik, Asim Abu Shakra, mona Hatoum, Sliman Mansour, Ismail Shammout, and many others. This art exhibit alone is worth the trip. 

Location:

The First Presbyterian Church

300 W. Wayne Street

Fort Wayne, IN 46802

260-426-7421