Palestinians and Polynesians

The Palestinian people are enigmatic to the lion’s share of Mormons in America. That sounds like a pretty broad stroke of the brush but please know I’ve been watching and listening with great care for the last thirty years. I’ve lived on the Mount of Olives (West Bank) on multiple occasions and I’ve visited the Gaza Strip several times. I’ve lectured at every major Palestinian University (and there are several on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip), and I conducted my doctoral research about Palestinians, in Palestine. I’ve been in Palestinian homes, schools, businesses, universities. I’ve visited Islamic mosques and Christian houses of worship (and many Palestinians are Christian). All Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are severely oppressed. That’s right, all of them.

What should we think of these mysterious people who so frequently conjure up danger and terror in so many Mormon minds? I’ve found a few techniques that have proven effective to communicate to Mormons that have never met a Palestinian what warm, generous, friendly, and loving people the Palestinians are. Here are five such talking points.

Talking point #1: I would NEVER hitch hike in the United States. Too dangerous. But I have hitch hiked many times in the West Bank and Gaza Strip where I know Palestinians will stop and offer a ride. I consider it very safe. Frequently, before I resort to hitch hiking I’m offered a ride by a generous passerby. It is almost always a Palestinian man and I accept the offer. That is how safe I feel amidst the Palestinian people.

Talking point #2: As I mentioned above, I have been to the Gaza Strip many times. However, I have never—that’s right—never purchased a meal in the Gaza Strip. Even when I was a complete stranger just being introduced to men and women that I have now known for decades, I never bought a meal. Back then I was a lowly graduate student with no status and nothing to offer. It didn’t matter. Friends-to-be argued over who would get to feed me that night. Palestinians make Texas hospitality look paltry. They are that warm as a society.

Talking point #3: I have never stayed in a hotel in the Gaza Strip. I’ve made reservations in a hotel right on the beach but I was not allowed to stay there. My newfound friends would not stand for it. Instead I was ushered to their homes to stay in their guest rooms and eat kabob on their shekel. We’d go up on the rooftop, watch the sun set, and talk about our families, politics, and aspirations. Their homes are organized in such a way that the immediate family live in very close proximity to one another, and many times in the same home. So by meeting the host you will also meet the entire family and become friends with them too. Good times. One time I brought one of my professors with me. They took him in without hesitation. No one was left out.

Talking point #4: Have you ever been hugged nine separate times by a host within thirty seconds of your arrival in their home? Well, the last time my dear friend, Farouk Elfarra greeted me at the crossing point of Israel into Gaza he took me lightly in his arms and kissed my cheeks nine times. That was akin to an American hugging a guest nine times as they crossed the threshold of the home. Suffice it to say, I knew I was welcome. More welcome than I had every made anyone feel in all the years I had entertained in my own home. That is how welcoming the Palestinian people are. This is not an exception—this is the general rule. You may not get kissed nine times, but you will feel welcome . . . very welcome.

Talking point #5: If techniques 1-4 don’t convince people that Palestinians are warm and inviting people—and frequently people will not believe me. Then I employ a comparison that always works. In fact, I’ve never met a Mormon that did not get this, and get it with clarity. Here is the question: Have you ever become friends with a Polynesian—Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan, anyone from the South Pacific? Ninety-nine percent of the time the answer is “Yes.” O.K., I respond, “What are your Polynesian friends and acquaintances like?” Without fail the descriptors spontaneously flow off their tongues: warm, generous to a fault, fun, they laugh a lot, beautiful singing voices, loyal to friends, cook great food and share it! Big smiles. And so forth. At that point I agree and simply explain that the closest you can get to understanding the general disposition of the Palestinian people is to conjure up recollections of the way you feel around Polynesian friends. The warmth and generosity are very, very similar.

At this juncture most are convinced. However, there are always a handful that have drank so deeply from the wells of bigoted media and strong cultural biases that they refuse to believe me. Bear in mind, these naysayers have never met a Palestinian, they’ve never been to Palestine, neither they nor their friends or family members have ever had a bad experience with a Palestinian and yet they refuse to believe me. I have met thousands of Palestinians, am acquainted with scores and scores, and am close friends with so many. Furthermore, I’ve been to Palestine in the last 90 days and I will be back in less than 180 days. I’m not recollecting some vision of the past. My descriptions are a matter of weeks old.

Finally, none of my children have ever been to Hawaii. I’m confident that many of you have. If you ever get the chance to tell my children that Hawaii is beautiful I hope that they will believe you. Why shouldn’t they? You’ve been there and they have not. You’re telling the truth and you have no motive to lie. Similarly, I hope you will receive my descriptions of the Palestinian people in the same way and for similar reasons. I’m telling the truth and I have no reason to lie to you. The Palestinian people are as good as I’ve just described them. Mormons, and everyone else, should open their minds to their goodness and refrain from embracing the inaccurate stereotypes and caricatures that have persisted for decades. Spread the word and let the discussion begin.