Pursuing peace after horrors of war
As conflict continues to devastate many parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), voices calling for and working towards peace are desperately needed. A new SAT-7 ARABIC program, Journeying towards Peace , is giving a platform to those who have turned from violence after experiencing the horrors of warfare.
The timing of this series is critical as further escalations of the Holy Land war threaten the wider region, particularly Lebanon, where Journeying towards Peace was filmed. It features powerful and moving interviews with those who fought in the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and the team behind the program hope that by highlighting stories of peace, repentance, and forgiveness they can impact hearts and minds across the region.
As the International Day of Peace is marked on 21 September, we share some of the stories from the new series.
“WHY ALL THIS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION?”
Hicham Dibsi, a Palestinian man who fought in the Lebanese Civil War, shared how the horrors he witnessed brought him to an important change of direction.
“After the 88-day siege of Beirut in 1982, I began to gradually reject the idea of violence,” he said. “It was a very harsh trial. I asked myself, ‘Why all this death and destruction? Why did so many people have to die?’”
These thoughts led Hicham to join a team of Palestinians who lobbied their representatives in Lebanon to pursue a peace initiative to end the violence. Although the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990, tensions between different groups inside and outside the country have continued. Peace in the neighbouring Holy Land has remained elusive, and the current conflict there has spilled across Lebanon’s southern border.
The terrifying sounds of warfare continue to impact Hicham. “When I hear gunshots, I shiver, and I call people to ask them to hide,” he said. “The first thing that comes to my mind is to stop the violence. Our daily work now is to advocate against violence. I have never felt more human and balanced since I rejected violence in all its forms. I hope there will be other voices making a difference too.”
“I LEARNED THE VALUE OF OTHERS”
Asaad Chaftari, a militia leader during the Lebanese Civil War, was considered a war criminal because of the assassinations he orchestrated. But Asaad experienced a huge turnaround in his life when his wife introduced him to a group of Christians who encouraged him to accept the love of Christ and showed him that it extended to both him and his enemies. His journey of repentance culminated in his issuing a public apology to all the Lebanese people who had lost loved ones in the war.
Asaad sees now that the “fear of the other leads to hatred and to civil war”. He added, “I learned the value of others and that I shouldn’t think little of them or despise them because they are different from me.”
He called for people in the MENA to work hard at pursuing the right kind of peace. “We need active peace and not passive peace. Passive peace is not killing the other, but active peace is knowing and understanding them.”
“I AM NOT BITTER”
Joseph Obeid fought on a different side from Asaad in the civil war. He was badly injured in the conflict, and in a brutal attack his wife lost the baby she was carrying. But he has found peace by choosing to let go of the past.
“All that happened is now in the past,” he said. “We can’t have peace if we stay focused on what happened. My back hurts, and whenever I get my cortisone shot, I remember what happened, but I am not bitter about it.”
Joseph thinks that parents have a huge role in guiding the next generation away from violence, and he has seen this play out in his own family. “My son wanted to join the army, but when I sensed that he had a talent in photography and filming, I encouraged him to pursue this career, and he studied. Now he is a professional cameraman. I guided him into this career without forcing him away from the army.”
Joseph himself has also developed creative pursuits, writing dramas and Christian songs and prayers. “God gave me a talent and I am using the talent that He gave me,” Joseph said.
PLEASE PRAY:
- Pray that the real-life stories shared on Journeying towards Peace will impact many hearts and minds across the MENA, especially among those who are intent on pursuing violence and conflict.
- Pray for a just end to the conflicts that are currently ravaging the MENA region and that lasting peace will be established in troubled lands.