Reveries of a motherless child

Presbyterian chief has personal reasons for opposing war on Iraq

by Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel

I was 4 years old when war broke out between Israel and Palestine in 1948. I lived with my family in a small Palestinian village in Galilee, northwest of Nazareth. I vividly remember leaving our home with my father and my five sisters and two brothers. I looked and looked for my mother, but she was not with us. At last I saw her, standing on the roof of our home, waving her hand. She had decided to stay.

We went up to a small Druse village where we lived in a makeshift tent in a refugee camp. Several months later, we returned home. I'll never forget seeing my mother there, waiting for us. Her faith had given her the strength to remain.

Listening to the current talk of war returns me to my childhood. I remember running for safety, and I feel again the sorrow of separation from my beloved mother.

This year I have the honor and privilege of serving as moderator of the 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the highest elected office in our denomination. I am the first Palestinian-Christian-Arab elected to serve. The faith journey that has brought me to this point began when I witnessed the faith of my mother and father in that small Palestinian village.

As a child of war and a follower of Jesus Christ, I oppose war with Iraq.

When the discussion turns to the possibility of war, I think of children. I think of the children of Iraq, of the United States, of the world. Out of my faith and my first-hand experience of the suffering that war inflicts, I pray that we will not resort to war.

I recognize that President Saddam Hussein poses a threat to other nations and to the people of Iraq. But I do not believe that war is the answer. Waging war to remove President Hussein would be wrong, and would prove detrimental to the interests of the United States.

War would result in the deaths of many military personnel of both nations. But it would do much more. Large numbers of Iraqi civilians would be killed and wounded. The Iraqi people have suffered greatly through more than two decades of war and severe economic sanctions. War would only add to their suffering - and those who suffered the most would be the women and children.

Furthermore, the pre-emptive use of military force by the United States would establish a dangerous precedent for other nations that feel threatened by the military capabilities of their neighbors. Unilaterally overthrowing governments designated as enemies would raise concerns in other countries about the level of respect the United States has for international law.

U.S. military action at this time could contribute greatly to the further destabilization of the Middle East region. Sentiment against the United States could increase. Militants in some countries could seize the opportunity to incite people against their governments. Such a war would divert attention from the need to seek ways of reducing international terrorism and complicate efforts to create and maintain stability in Afghanistan.

Most governments in Europe and the Middle East do not support war with Iraq. International support for the war on terrorism may well erode if the United States attacks Iraq without a United Nations mandate. A unilateral attack would be detrimental to U.S. interests when there is strong international support for a renewed program of weapons inspection. It is important for the United States to work cooperatively with the other nations of the world.

Rather than waging war on Iraq, the United States should work for the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq. We should work for an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and peace settlement, and for the end of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and their three million people. We should work for new arms-control agreements in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region, and for stronger international treaties on weapons of mass destruction. Through such efforts, we could address the threat posed by President Hussein while also demonstrating respect for international law and a high regard for all human life.
The United States is the most powerful nation under the sun. We are strong in many ways. Yet our true strength is not revealed in our military might. Our genius is revealed when we use our political, economic, and social strength to build friendships, create relationships, and work for a just society in this world.

At this point in history, we need to solve international problems through political, diplomatic and economic means, not through military force. We need to be leaders in building a better society in the world. Unfortunately, our current words and our actions are demonstrating to the world that the gun is our solution. We need to show instead that by working together, especially through the United Nations, the peoples of the world can solve their problems peacefully.

As a child of war and as a Christian, I hope we will all pray that our leaders won't wage war on Iraq. I hope we will all contact President Bush and our representatives and senators, to let them know that we are not for war. And I hope we will soon see the day when no child has to run from war.

(Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel is moderator of the 214th General Assembly (2002) of the Presbyterian Church (USA))