Friday, April 27, 2007

From Where Do I Get My Hope?

"From where do I get my hope? From the people of this place, and those Israeli/Palestinian peace activists who believe passionately that given justice and equality for all its citizens, peace and human security is possible in this holy land. I take hope, too, from the courage of the young Israeli reservists who, following their conscience, have refused military duty in the territories. ... I have watched, too, those in the resistance movements who believe justice will only come through violence, and in their frustration, pain, and anger have turned to armed resistance, suicide bombs. Suicide bombs tragically take the life of those who use them, and have taken the lives of many Israeli people, and others, and such actions can never be justified. I would therefore like to appeal to those who use such violence, (including those who use the threat of violence by calling for the destruction of Israel) to abandon these immoral and illegal methods, and use nonviolent language and means of working for justice and freedom."

- Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her work as co-founder of the Community of Peace People in Northern Ireland, speaking to a nonviolence conference in the West Bank. Later that same day, during a nonviolent protest against Israel's separation barrier, she was shot in the leg with a rubber-coated steel bullet by Israeli soldiers. (Source: God's Politics blog)

2 comments:

Suzy said...

I really appreciate this, Chuck. I tend to forget about hope -- and yet every great activist talks about hope as the thing that keeps them going. I love Bayard Rustin's quote about how you don't FIND hope, you MAKE it through your actions and beliefs.

poodledoc said...

Yes, I agree with Mr Rustin. Hope isn't produced by magic, but once you MAKE it, it feels like magic......