August 2003

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from Cairo in the name of Jesus Christ.

“God (Allah) loves peace. Those who love God (Allah) love peace.” So started my first Arabic lesson with Ashgan, a devout Muslim, middle-aged mother of two college-age boys, and Arabic teacher at the Catholic Camboni Brothers Institute for Islamic Studies. My normal Arabic lesson lethargy evaporated instantly. I was startled and enthralled by the conversation. Unfortunately, subsequent lessons required that I learn the Arabic for words far removed from the topic of peace—war, blood, wounded, enemy, kill, fight, terrorist, hate—so we could talk about current events in the Middle East.

Islam has tugged increasingly on my consciousness and my concern this past year in Egypt. This may be true for you as well since national and world events have created heightened interest. My knowledge of Islam is very limited. Who is the God of Islam? Is He truly so different from the God of the Old and New Testaments. What does He ask of His followers? According to Ashgan, the answer is clear: the God of Islam loves peace. Quite at odds with the Western stereotype!

I have accumulated quite a collage of impressions and experiences over the past few tumultuous months in the Middle East:

• At the beginning of the year, the PC(USA) requested that I write up an evacuation plan. The need to focus on evacuating from Cairo because of the possibility of overt anti-Americanism was unsettling.

• The most alarming moment was on Thursday March 20, when Operation Shock and Awe began in Iraq. The CEOSS Director General asked that I and my non-Egyptian colleague Ivana return to our respective apartments and stay inside until informed by CEOSS that the situation was safe. As it turned out, we were called on Sunday to return to work on Monday, as the atmosphere was calm.
• I was quite startled the next week to receive a letter from Charles’ school (British International School) indicating the school would remain open. It hadn’t occurred to me that the school might close. Of course this would have had a vital bearing on any personal evacuation plan. A major oversight on my part!

• The three PC(USA)Young Adult Volunteers living in downtown Cairo were evacuated to Cypress for three or four weeks, and then were required to taken heightened security precautions when they returned to Cairo. They completed their one-year terms, returning to the United States in August.
• My colleague and office mate, Yugoslavian-born Ivana, is married to American free-lance war correspondent Philip Smucker. Philip traveled into Iraq from Kuwait to follow the American troops and report on the war. Ivana was terrified for several days when he was totally out of communication with her.
• CEOSS’s reaction to recent international developments has been to increase and expand its programs of Muslim-Christian dialogue. In April, CEOSS held the first in a series of dialogues with German Muslims and Christians. The objective is to address the negative stereotypes Arabs and Westerners tend to hold of each other. I am impressed at this CEOSS effort toward constructive activity.
• The accounts I receive from friends in Palestine continue to contain stories of the suffering of the Palestinian people from closures, curfews, home demolitions, destruction of fields and olive trees; inability to access medical facilities, schools, and places of employments; harassment at IDF checkpoints despite Road Map efforts. Friend Tom told me of the wedding he attended in Palestine of one of his employee’s children. The wedding was postponed three times because of IDF curfews making travel within Palestine impossible. Eventually the couple was married, but the event was very hurried and poorly attended—not the type of joyous celebration the families had hoped for.
• Newspapers here in Cairo and throughout the Middle East recount the distasteful and belligerent comments prominent Christian fundamentalists in the United States make about Islam. They also carry stories of the support Christian Zionists give to Israel, disregarding justice for the Palestinian people. A recent newsletter from PC(USA)’s Washington Office provides an introduction to this issue. It’s on the Internet at www.pcusa.org/washington/issuenet/me-030610.htm

I confess there are times when I find myself overwhelmed by the injustice and misunderstandings that comprise daily life in the Middle East. The recent events related to the Road Map in Palestine and Israel, and the post-war period in Iraq make clear the limitations on man’s ability to resolve war and injustice. Let us give thanks that our God seeks “shalom”—peace, justice, freedom, and well-being for individuals and societies—and He can do it. Let us pray for hearts and minds of wisdom, compassion, and love of neighbor so we can participate with Him.

In Christ,

Nancy and Charles

P.S.: In June and July 2004 we will be in the United States to speak to Presbyterian congregations. We expect to spend June in Iowa and July in the Presbytery of Southern New England. Let me know if you would like me to visit your church.

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 143