Eid-il-Fitr

Good evening everyone,

So I'm still have difficulties uploading pictures - hopefully this will be resolved soon. I'm eager to share more about my experiences through pictures.

The focus of this week has been the end of Ramadan (a notion that I am admittedly extremely excited about) and the beginning of Rosh Hashanah - a celebration of the Jewish New Year. It is only by coincidence that both fall during the same time this year, but this dramatically complicates the security issue. During the Muslim Sabbath (Friday) and other designated holy days of prayer, many Muslims go to Jerusalem (provided they can attain a permit which are easier to get during holy periods) to pray at the Dome of the Rock as it is the third most holy site for Islam. On Wednesday, my roommate Bethany and I tried to go to a volleyball fellowship for internationals not realizing that it was an important day for prayer. We waited at the checkpoint for two hours before deciding to turn back - the most frustrating part of this was that we were in a line about ten people deep, but still had at least another hour before we would go through metal detectors ( the final step of the checkpoint process) due to an IDF slow down. We later found out that some 400,000 Muslims had entered Jerusalem on Wednesday to pray and the number was expected to be much greater on Friday. We had our first Arabic lesson on Friday, thankfully we were picked up by our country coordinators - otherwise we would have had to line up around 8am, to ensure that we could get into Jerusalem by 5pm. Literally, people will line up for miles. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid-il-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking Fast and carries the same weight as Christmas does for Christians. People go to mosque in new clothes and exchange gifs with friends and family.

Rosh Hashanah started yesterday which means that Palestinians are barred from entering Israel, even if they possess a work permit. As I grow more into my role as an American in Palestine, my privilege is more and more apparent. This morning, Bethany and I attended worship in Jerusalem as we were being commissioned by the Bishop of the ELCJHL (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land). A friend of ours was going to be officiating the Arabic speaking congregation at the same church and offered to accompany us through the checkpoints and transportation. We hadn't given a second thought about being able to pass through Kalandia, he on the other was extremely nervous as his work permit may not be able to trump Rosh Hashanah, despite being able to prove being a Christian pastor on a Sunday. Thankfully, there were no problems, but again, I was reminded of how accompanying the Palestinian people in their struggle is difficult simply because I have white face and a blue passport.

Also, over the past weeks I have been learning more about the internal struggles and prejudices of Palestine. I am largely surrounded by Arab Christians, who comprise of about 3% of the Palestinian population. This identity not only subjects them to prejudice from Israelis, but Muslims as well. Particularly with Hamas gaining support in the West Bank, many Christians are scared that it will largely compromise their freedom to worship and abide by their traditions (namely, women not having to cover their head). In 2006, Hamas won a democratic election in Gaza. Since coming to power, women must be covered and are no longer able to work or drive. It's the ultimate paradox of a democratic election with very undemocratic policies. I will be writing more about the advantages and disadvantaes of Hamas and Fatah in posts to come.

Of the Christians I have talked to, they have no problem with Muslims on an individual level, but feel as a religion, their beliefs are too strongly imposed on the population. As a Westerner, I assumed to find a large Christian presence in the Holy Land, but they are leaving at record numbers, partly due to the occupation and partly due to fear of losing religious freedom. Many Muslims believe that Christians side with the West, a largely untrue assumption and see them as a threat to Islam. Unfortunately, the peace process with have to extend further than Israel and Palestine, but Christians and Muslims.

I hope you're well. Again, I sincerely appreciate your comments. I head to the Sea of Galilee in a few hours (it's 3am West Bank time at the moment) for Eid-il-Fitr since it's also a school holiday. My main objective is to walk on water - stay tuned...

Peace,

Laurie