Racial Equity

2025 Arab American devotion: Modified by Sean Tomlinson from a 2024 blog post by Jessie Thomas at Naropa University in Colorado.

Arab American Heritage Month arrives in 2025 in a period of lamentation, devastation, and precarity. Many within the diverse Arab American community have been profoundly affected by ongoing violence in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, and other parts of the Arab world from where they trace their descent. The formation of a new government in Syria offers welcome respite from over a decade of horrendous civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced an estimated fourteen million. Yet while there is some hope for peace, recovery, and return in Syria, the horrific war in Gaza that began a year and a half ago continues. This violence has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of children and civilians, in addition to the injury, displacement, and traumatization of millions. It has also included hostage-taking, wholesale destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure, starvation, exposure, and disease. Scripture provides examples of innocent people affected by war and seeking safety and refuge. The Gospel of Matthew tells us how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled from their homes to Egypt to avoid violence at the hands of Herod. Palestinian pastor Dr. Munther Isaac reminds us, after all, that Jesus was a Middle Eastern man born in a time of conflict, amidst imperial occupation and revolt. Such was the very environment that God chose to send the Prince of Peace. We therefore pray for lasting peace, reconciliation, care for victims, aid in rebuilding, and just resolution of the historical grievances that have denied basic human rights and have perpetuated cycles of violence, exploitation, and oppression for so very long.

The brutality of this violence has led to allegations by humanitarian and legal organizations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Many in positions of power publicly endorse these and similar acts, rationalizing them through fear, dehumanization, trauma, racism, bigotry, and manipulation of religious scripture and thought. Scripture provides examples of challenging the temptation to resort to extreme and overwhelming violence. The Gospel of Luke tells us how two of Jesus’ disciples rashly proposed calling down fire from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village that did not welcome them. Rather than doing so, Jesus not only rebuked them, but shortly thereafter taught them through a parable that featured a Samaritan in the central role as an example of what it meant to be a good neighbor.

This devastation of these wars have horrified many around the world, but it is especially acute for many Arab Americans who count family members, relatives, friends, colleagues, and schoolmates among those killed, displaced, or traumatized in this violence. Many themselves have been demonized, targeted, and attacked for seeking asylum or for speaking out and calling for peace—the very message that Christ brought to us. We therefore also pray for God’s love and peace for those who have suffered loss, courage and endurance for those being targeted for speaking up in support of Christ’s message of peace—as the apostle Peter wrote, urging Christians to “seek peace and pursue it”—and God’s justice for those who have suffered.

In our own time, members of the Arab American community have provided examples of living through difficult times with grace, love, courage, fortitude, and care for families and communities, living out God’s commands to look after the poor, orphans, widows, foreigners, and neighbors. The Basha family cared for community members during the Great Depression; Danny Thomas founded St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital to care for children facing challenging major health problems; Christa McAuliffe flew into space to inspire students to learn about science; John Abizaid risked his life to lead American soldiers during multiple conflicts; Maysoon Zayid uses comedy to advocate for disability rights and representation; Jack Shaheen opened public eyes to racism in the media; Linda Sarsour co-organized the 2017 Women’s March and advocates tirelessly for American civil rights. These Americans with a diverse range of experiences and Arab heritage offer just a glimpse of the ways in which Arab Americans have worked within families, communities, and our country to make the world a better place. We honor their efforts and their integral place in our communities and shared history.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, bless and keep Arab Americans in our community and nation and help us work to change structures that support violence, xenophobia, racism, and bigotry to follow your example of truly loving our neighbors as ourselves. Amen