A letter from Doug Dicks in Jordan
June 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
Don’t ask Father Nabil Haddad of Jordan what the Middle East would be like without Middle Eastern Christians.At least, not at first. It is true that he is concerned about the plight of Arab Christians in the Middle East, but that is not a starting point when engaging him in a conversation about the Arab Christian presence in Jordan and the Holy Land today.
Doug listens intently as Father Nabil Haddad speaks to a group of religious journalists.
Father Nabil is Arab by birth; Christian by faith; Greek Catholic (Melkite) by religious tradition; and Jordanian by nationality. He moves about the city of Amman, and all of Jordan, for that matter, in what he describes as his “Eastern” or “Byzantine” clerical robe, a crucifix on a long chain hanging around his neck and visibly present on his chest. Oftentimes he forgets his hat.
“In Jordan, we don’t have a ‘Christian quarter,’ such as in Jerusalem”, he says. “I can go anywhere I please.” And go he does.
Whether he is attending Jordan’s Independence Day celebrations at the Prime Ministry or hosting and escorting the pope during his visit to Jordan, Father Nabil is always visible and out and about in this city of approximately 2 million-plus people.
Father Nabil says the cross he wears does not form some kind of wall between him and his Muslim neighbors. “Long before we build walls and barriers on the ground, we build them in our hearts,” he says. He goes on to say that Christianity teaches him to love his neighbor. “The Bible doesn’t tell me to love my ‘Christian’ neighbor. It says, ‘Love thy neighbor,’ no matter who they are.”
The founder of the Jordanian Interfaith Co-existence Research Center on Jabal Weibdeh in Amman, Father Nabil says he has never felt inferior even though Christians are a minority in Jordan. He asserts that his is a Christian voice in a Muslim society, and that Christians in the Middle East have lived with Islam for 1,400 years. And he speaks of the rich history that Arab Christians have had in the Middle East, starting with the time of the first Pentecost. He is quick to point out that the New Testament book of Acts, Chapter 2, states that Arabs were present at the first Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit along with other peoples. Therefore, Father Nabil says, Arab Christians are capable and qualified to speak, and they are part of society and do not feel like aliens.
Founded in 2003, the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center, or JICRC, is concerned with the sensitive and vital issues of mutual respect and coexistence among followers of diverse religious faiths, not only in the Middle East but throughout the world. In 2004 the center was recognized by the U.S. State Department for “its role in shaping societal attitudes both in Jordan and worldwide through its work in peacemaking, interfaith dialogue and coexistence efforts.”
Father Nabil promotes the Common Word initiative, which was penned by leading Muslim scholars in October 2007 and highly received by Christian churches across the globe. The letter, written by Muslim leaders to their Christian counterparts in the spirit of love of God and love of neighbor as common ground, calls for peace and understanding among the leaders of both faith communities.
The Amman Call is also critical to the work of the JICRC. This document, released by King Abdullah II in 2004, has as its major imperative defining what Islam is and what Islam is not. This statement is critical in defining the religious climate in the Middle East and beyond.
In addition to their religious value, these documents comprise the cardinal texts of the JICRC and serve as tools for use in promoting values regarding interfaith understanding.
The Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, on Jabal Weibdeh in Amman, Jordan.
Father Nabil also serves as the priest for the Greek Catholic or Melkite Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, a relatively small church that was built near the ruins of a rather large cathedral dating from the time when Amman was known as the city of Philadelphia, one of the 10 cities of the Roman Decapolis. He jokes with a visiting group of young people that the city of brotherly love is not “that American city called Philadelphia.” “Amman is the city of brotherly love,” he proudly states. He says that Jordanians are proud of the brotherly love that Christians and Muslims share.
Regarding the question of the dwindling Arab Christian presence in Jordan and the Holy Land, Father Nabil admits that he would much prefer to see the pews filled with the faithful. “How can we understand Islam as a religion of tolerance when there are no Christians?” he says.
But Father Nabil isn’t playing the numbers game. He speaks with a voice of authority and reason as well as an air of conviction.
“There are 15 million Christians in the Middle East today,” he states. And he proposes that it is the Arab Christians who can best build bridges of understanding between peoples.
“What our region needs is justice,” Father Nabil says. He proclaims that this is the Holy Land, the land that God chose. “Are we making this land holy today?” he questions. “How many churches welcome Muslims? And how many mosques welcome Christians?”
Father Nabil says we can build understanding between peoples when we are reconciled with ourselves. And he believes we have an obligation to spread the message of love. He reminds us, however, that love is both decisive and tough. “We need to tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear,” he says emphatically.
He says religious values, forgiveness, reconciliation and building peace are desperately needed, and this is the work that we should all be about. “We need to speak our hearts,” he says. “We need to speak our faith. There is no reconciliation without forgiveness. And there is no forgiveness without love.”
“We have a message to convey,” says Father Nabil. “We have to remind people of both forgiveness and love. We need to rethink how to carry this message to the world.”
“We can make the change,“ he says. “God needs us 24/7!”
Blessings,
Doug
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 353
