Remembering our Shared Humanity in the Midst of War and Division

The Rev. Dr. Adam Shoemaker, rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Charleston, shared his unique perspective on the "tragic outbreak of war in the Middle East" as an Arab American with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim roots in this editorial shared in today's Charleston Post and Courier. This profound piece is worth a read:

Commentary: Remember our common humanity as war grips the Holy Land
by the Rev. Dr. Adam Shoemaker

I am an Arab American with Christian, Jewish and Muslim roots. I also happen to be an ordained Episcopal priest. At times, this diversity has challenged my sense of self and my natural human desire for belonging. It has made me question where I fit in.

I now appreciate that background as one of the greatest gifts God has given me. The three great Abrahamic faith traditions are each a part of my collective story and have made me into the person and priest I am today. They shape how I understand myself as a spiritual person and how I aim to approach the rich diversity of this world. This background also colors and impacts the ways in which I absorb the tragic outbreak of war in the Middle East.

When I see images of the brutal Hamas terror attack on Israeli men, women and children, the daily horror of the families whose relatives have been taken hostage, and the enormous rise in antisemitism across the world, I think about my Jewish family members who escaped Germany seeking a better life in the United States. I also call to mind the ways in which my grandmother, Deirdre, recalled the antisemitism she experienced as a young woman growing up in New Orleans, an early experience that I believe affected her for the rest of her life.

When I see images of the constant bombing of Gaza and the catastrophic suffering of Palestinian men, women and children or the rise in Islamophobia across the world, I think about my Egyptian family members. I think especially of my younger siblings such as my sister, Yousra and my brother, Hamza. I also call to mind the ways in which fear and terror, like what transpired in the wake of 9/11, can so often lead to the dehumanization and persecution of innocent civilians and the constant drumbeat of war.

When I see images of churches or Christian hospitals, like the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, being destroyed, I think not only of the victims but of fellow bishops, priests and lay people. I think of those who live, work and faithfully minister in this war-torn and conflicted place so many call the Holy Land. I also remember the tremendous cost of war and the risks taken by anyone seeking to intervene for the sake of those who are suffering.

My heart aches for my Jewish, Muslim and Christian sisters and brothers that I see suffering in Israel, Gaza, and in neighboring countries in the region. My heart aches for the innocent victims not only in the Middle East but also right here in the United States. My heart aches for the victims of antisemitism or Islamophobia, such as 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian American boy who was stabbed 26 times in his home in Plainfield Township, Illinois, in what authorities have said was an anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate crime.

​Terror campaigns of any kind must be resisted, yes, but as a priest and pastor, I pray we never forget our common humanity. I pray we never allow violence, hatred and terror to drive us to dehumanize those who are different from us.

This is how terror metastasizes. I pray we can find ways to use these tragedies to come together because the truth is that we all belong, we all matter, we all have inherent worth and dignity given to us by God and we all deserve to live in peace. May we strive in all we say, do and advocate for to be instruments of peace — shalom, salaam — in this harrowing moment and always.

The Rev. Adam Shoemaker is rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Charleston.

You can also read it at this link on the website for The Post & Courier.

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