What More in the Name of Love

I've heard it said that your heroes are people that are living what you aspire after. In that case, Dr. Izeldeen Abuelaish is a hero to me. I contemplate, talk about and aspire to live peacefully, even in the face of violence, and Dr. Izeldeen Abuelaish lives it.

I heard a story on NPR this week that grabbed my attention. It was about a Gazan doctor who had 3 of his children killed in their home by the Israeli army on Friday, January 16 of this year. The doctor lived in Gaza but worked in Israel and in Gaza, serving Jewish and Palestinian patients. I could certainly understand if Dr. Abuelaish responded in the anguish of a dad and lashed out at others, particularly those that killed his girls. Instead, Dr. Abuelaish is responding with a simple philosophy: "Love each other, help each other, respect each other."

Before the tragedy, Dr. Abuelaish, who had ties with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and media, was known regionally for his belief in peace and nonviolence. As he said, "This is the path I believed in and what I raised and educated my children to believe."

During the Israeli-Gaza battle earlier this year, Dr. Abuelaish stayed in his Gaza home with his 5 children. He stayed in constant contact with outside media, believing this contact and his reputation kept his family safe. Instead, tragedy. In his words:

"My daughters were just sitting quietly talking in their bedroom at home," Dr. Izeldeen Abuelaish told me on the phone between sobs. "I had just left the room, carrying my youngest son on my shoulders. Then a shell came through the wall. I rushed back to find their dead bodies - or rather parts of their bodies - strewn all over the room. One was still sitting in a chair but she had no legs."

Unimaginable pain. Through his connections, Dr. Abuelaish was able to get medical help for his family that survived, but 3 of his daughters plus a niece died in the attack. The victims were Bisan, 20, Mayar, 15, Aya, 13, and the doctor's niece Nur, 17. "My eldest daughter was five months away from finishing her degree in business and financial management. She was looking forward to the future and I was so proud of her." You can find some video from that night HERE.

From the night of the tragedy through today, even during intense and public grief, Dr. Abuelaish has remained steadfast that "Military ways are futile, for both. Words are stronger than bullets. We have to understand each other. We have to respect each other as a human, as equal, and that the dignity of both is equal." Equality, not revenge. Dr. Abuelaish even accepted the Israeli Army's fact-finding which found its mistake "reasonable."

In his interview with NPR, Dr. Abuelaish said his faith in God is helping sustain his belief in peace and the possibility of love. "As a believer, as a Muslim, with deep and strong faith, everything which comes from God is good. Why I was selected? Why my daughters were selected? For a purpose, for something good," He believes that Allah is using the tragedy to help the doctor get out the message that "Gazans are dying. They are human beings like others." Another fruit of hope from this tragedy is that Dr. Abuelaish is establishing a foundation, from the money paid as compensation by the Israeli government, to provide scholarships and support for the education and health of Palestinian women and girls.

Dr. Abuelaish prays that maybe his daughters will be the last sacrifice, that his children would be the last price for peace.

I find this a truly remarkable story of grace. Dr. Izeldeen Abuelaish is a heroic man.

Here is the interview that introduced me to Dr. Abuelaish. Five minutes of airtime; five more minutes of turning a tragedy into a step toward a more peaceful world.