FOSNA
Friends of Sabeel North America.
A Christian voice for Palestine
by Jonathan Kuttab
Let us offer, then, as a working principle the following: No statement, theological or otherwise, should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children.
-Rabbi Irving Greenberg
The above statement, made in response to the deplorable silence of Christians during the Holocaust, launched an entire school of post-Holocaust theological studies, becoming in essence a moral litmus test against which all theological (and perhaps ideological and political) positions were to be tested.
As the events in Gaza continue to unfold, but this time committed in broad daylight and broadcast for all to see, with images of maimed and starved children becoming a sight impossible to ignore, I am wondering what impact this would have on current and future theological thought and political ideologies. Apart from the obvious racism, which does not view Palestinian lives and children as being remotely equal to European Jewish lives and children, the moral and theological questions raised are actually one and the same.
How can churches explain or justify their current silence, timidity, and indeed complicity in the ongoing genocide? How do we understand their toleration of and support for apartheid, genocide, and grossly discriminatory policies? How can we make sense of their support for Christian Zionism and their normalization of moral and ethical double standards. As Rev. Munther Isaac has repeatedly pointed out, this is not merely the problem of evangelical and dispensationalist churches caught up in eschatological end-times fantasies, but it is also found within mainline churches as well, wherein religious and scriptural language and images are utilized to foster a default support for Zionism and the state of Israel.
Perhaps once the dust settles down and universal outrage overtakes the entrenched centers of power and complacency, a similar process will take place and a commitment made to accept a new working principle: that no statement, theological or otherwise, be made unless it is credible in the presence of starved Palestinian children.
When that happens, we will need to reexamine our hymns and Sunday School curricula, our lectionaries and liturgies, reading them not only in light of Jesus’ New Testament message of the Kingdom of God, which rejected both Jewish tribalism and territoriality but also to make sure that any theological concept or system is credible in the presence of emaciated children. Concepts such as “Chosen People,” “children of Abraham,” “promised land,”and “covenant relationship,” the printed maps in our Bibles and commentaries, and “talk of God’s plans for mankind” as well as the very nature of God may need to be reexamined, properly deconstructed, and entirely reconstituted such that they might be found credible in the presence of deliberately starved, maimed, and murdered children of Palestine.
Beyond theology, we also need to re-examine our political language. Terms like “shared values,” “Israel’s right to defend itself,” "Judaeo-Christian,” “reliable allies,” “the only democracy in the Middle East,” “the civilized world,” “exceptionalism,” “terrorism,” “total victory,” “international law” and even “human rights” need to be reexamined and redefined. Understanding these terms properly must be done in terms that are credible “in the presence of starved children.” Any statement employing these terms will have to be reexamined and defined in a manner that is credible and meaningful after the horrors of Gaza.
We may also need to learn from past history just how easily a victim can become a victimizer and how a victim mentality can be abused to provide justifications for further outrages. Both Israelis and Palestinians will need to know that their victimhood does not grant them exceptionalism or provide an excuse to perpetrate outrages themselves when they have the power or ability to do so. Universal principles and robust international organizations must be established and strengthened to ensure that such inhuman practices are never again to be allowed or tolerated. People of conscience, particularly faith communities, will need to learn to uphold their principles with equal vigor and principled dedication regardless of who the victim or perpetrator is, and whether or not the prevailing power structures of the age permit or tolerate their outrages.
And maybe we do not need to wait until all this comes about in the future. We can start now. Let us offer, then, as a working principle the following: No statement, theological or otherwise, should be made that would not be credible in the presence of starved children.
A very good analysis by the inspired Jonathan Kuttab, it is indeed a highly needed and required reorganization of our world wide definitions and applications of human rights, dignity and our behavior toward each other.
As always, my many thanks to all.
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