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| Don Holsinger, professor of history at Seattle (Wash.) Pacific University, tells students, faculty, and staff at Hesston College how Abraham's triple heritage can be the foundation stones of Middle East Peace. |
September 12, 2005
A history professor at Seattle
(Wash.) Pacific University contends that the common heritage of Abraham
claimed by Jews, Christians, and Muslims can lead to peace today,
instead of conflict, among the people of those three faiths. Don Holsinger
spoke on the topic "Abraham's Triple Heritage: Foundation Stones
for Middle East Peace" during the Melva Kauffman Memorial Lecture
Series at Hesston College Sept. 7-9.
Holsinger, who holds a doctoral
degree in African and Middle Eastern history from Northwestern University,
Evanston, Ill., drew from his studies over the past 30 years, along
with first-hand experiences in Algeria, and in Israel/Palestine.
"True cross-cultural experience
teaches us how little we know about other people and cultures in the
world," he said. "Within us all lies a common humanity with
the same basic questions and challenges. When we realize that, we
can truly see others as our neighbors.
"All three faiths begin with
one God who was revealed through history and time, with Abraham being
the key person," he said. "All three faiths believe in the
importance of prayer, individual free will, a strong ethic of social
justice, a final judgment, and a tie to the Holy Land."
Beyond that commonality, the three
faiths begin to diverge, Holsinger noted. "They have different
takes on God's revelation," he said. "Jews see themselves
as people chosen by God. Christians believe the fullest revelation
of God was through a person, Jesus Christ. Muslims, meanwhile, believe
God revealed himself to Muhammad through a book (the Quran) in the
7th century.
"The problem comes when exclusive
claims are made," Holsinger explained, "like 'It belongs
to me and not to you.' All three faiths have used Abraham to serve
their own purposes. That runs counter to the spirit of Abraham, who
was known for his hospitality and generosity."
Holsinger pointed out that since
the Muhammad's life in the 7th and 8th centuries, negative stereotypes
and distorted images of Christians, Jews, and Muslims have exploded
through shifting thrusts of military power that continue today.
He called the city of Hebron in
the occupied West Bank, about 20 miles south of Jerusalem, a microcosm
of the animosity between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. "Half
the world's population see Hebron as sacred. For one thing, it's the
city of Abraham, where, according to Genesis, he is buried."
According to Holsinger, who was
in Hebron in the year 2000 as a member of a Christian Peacemaker Team
(CPT) delegation, "the city is arguably one of the oldest occupied
cities on the planet, dating back to at least 2,200 B.C." The
population is overwhelmingly Palestinian, almost all of them Muslims.
But part of the city is under Israeli occupation and Jewish settlements
continue to grow. Some Palestinians who live around the city are being
forced off their land. "How long will Palestinians have to ask
for the same basic rights we take for granted?" he asked.
He pointed to signs of hope, including
Pope John Paul II's prayer at the Western Wall (also known as the
Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem (literally, "city of peace")
in the spring of 2000. "He spoke about the children of Abraham
and his hope for reconciliation. He also publicly apologized for the
persecution of Jews for centuries, culminating with the Holocaust."
Holsinger also cited the Jewish
rabbi he met five years ago who has been prosecuted by the Israeli
government for defending the human rights of Palestinians. A Palestinian
Arab Christian woman passionate for justice and peace symbolized for
Holsinger the growing and important role of women, including Israeli
women, who are advocates for reconciliation.
"Love God, love neighbor,
and think Samaritan," Holsinger encouraged his audience. "Think
of your neighbor as the person most different from you in geography,
time, and culture.
The most important thing we can
do is develop a symmetry of empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians.
It's not empathizing for one group as opposed to the other. It means
being fully empathetic for both. The price is much heartache."
While in Hebron, Holsinger took
the time to find Abraham's spring. "It was still flowing, but
was covered with an ugly, stinky scum," he said. "Then I
realized the symbolic significance of that pollution as it relates
to the present Middle East situation, which is filled with hatred,
fear, and violence.
"When you read the stories
about Abraham, you see anything but hatred, violence, and exclusivity,"
he said. "The hope of recovering Abraham's triple heritage requires
dialogue among these faiths and cultures.
"Abraham's spring can be
renewed and purified," he concluded. "It's up to us."
In addition to two chapel addresses, Holsinger spoke in several classes,
met with college faculty and staff, and presented a public lecture
titled "Islam and the West: Clash, Co-existence, or Convergence."
Holsinger said the time he spent
in Hesston was a homecoming. He grew up in Hesston, attended Hesston
Academy, then graduated in 1966 from Hesston High School, before earning
his bachelor's degree from Bethel College, North Newton.
He and his wife, Ruth Friesen,
are members of Seattle Mennonite Church.
Holsinger was the first speaker in
the annual Melva Kauffman Memorial Lecture Series. She was an English
and education instructor at Hesston College from 1944-77. According
to Paul Friesen, one of her colleagues, "Many of her students
and faculty colleagues remember her as a great teacher. Another colleague
said that Kauffman welcomed new ideas without compromising her position
on basic teaching skills."
Kauffman graduated from Hesston
Academy in 1936 and from Hesston College in 1939. She also taught
part-time at Goshen (Ind.) College, Bluffton (Ohio) University, and
at Bethel College. Beside academic teaching, she spent many years
teaching Sunday school classes and leading book studies at Schowalter
Villa where she resided after her retirement.
Kauffman died in October 2003.
In the spring of the following year, her family established the annual
lecture series using funds from her trust which named Hesston College
as the recipient.
According to Phyllis Weaver, a
Hesston College development officer who had Kauffman as an instructor
and later kept in contact with her after her retirement in 1978, "Kauffman's
family chose to set up this lecture series to preserve her memory
and contribution to Hesston College and to continue her lifelong interests
in learning and the humanities," she said. "By having an
annual lecture series, the students, faculty, staff, and the community
will benefit from her generosity."