Palestine has been in the limelight in the past couple of months. People don’t know very many famous Palestinians. As we approach Christmas, we are reminded of the most famous, and perhaps the Most Valuable Palestinian of them all- Jesus of Nazareth. He is in the thick of things in the interfaith circles. Obviously, the Christianity is centered around him. Muslims love him and he is one of the 5 most elite Prophets in Islam. Jewish people may feel differently but the fact remains that Jesus was an ethnic Jew.
My Christians cousin often use this question for guidance: What Would Jesus Do?
I am asking a more specific question: What would Jesus do if he was still living in Palestine?
Sure, he was from the West Bank, as he was born in Bethlehem. You may even argue he was not from Gaza. As a Muslim, I believe he was a freedom fighter, someone who preached for peace and justice. But he was not afraid to raise havoc when he needed to, as in overthrowing the table of the money changers at the temple in the last week of his life as told in the New Testament.
I am afraid, if he was living in Gaza today, there is a good chance, he would have been killed by the incessant Israeli bombing.
And he would never go for the title of MVP- Most Valuable Palestinian.
Instead, he would point out to the courageous Palestinians living in Gaza for the collective MVP title. He would point out to the steadfastness of the Palestinian people living under occupation for over 75 years. He would tell us his people have been deprived of food, water, access to basic health care and yet persevere in the face of adversity. He would tell them to stay strong despite seeing the deaths of nearly 20,000 of his people, more than half of them women and children. Just like he rose up against the rulers- religious leaders and the Roman empire, he would urge his people in Palestine to not lose hope. He would continue to fight for peace, yet tell his people to continue to strive for justice and freedom. He would point out that his land has been the largest open air prison in the world. He would then correct this narrative to remind us that at least the prisoners have some basic rights. They can look forward to a release day. He would also remind his people and those who care to listen to him that the prison is for people who have committed crimes, yet his people are in the largest open air prison for committing no crime.
He may even lead his people back to the rulers, in this case occupiers of the land, AKA Israel. He would ask the occupiers what kind of law are the occupiers using to justify bombing hospitals, ambulances, shelters and other places for the refugees. He would also ask the occupiers what international laws can justify forcing over a million people for mass exodus of their land to move South, only to bomb them days later.
He would ask his followers as to why are they staying quiet in the face of these atrocities being committed to his people. Why are they not doing what they can do to stop the genocide of his people.
In case we, as Americans, have forgotten, he would remind us that he too was brown. He would remind us all that as the Christmas is approaching, and people are getting ready to celebrate his birth in a big way, that the biggest birthday gift to him would be a #Ceasefire in his land to stop the killing of his people.
The question for us is : Are we going to pay attention to his pleas?
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