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In 1963 Martin Luther King, one of the 20^th Century great civil right leaders delivered a speech which not only inspired millions of black African Americans in their struggle for justice and equality but also for many others it became the symbol of defiance, conviction and hope in the face of adversity.  This speech was titled “I have a dream”.  Today as an Arab, Muslim, Lebanese, Australian inspired by the words of this great leader I want to say that I too have a dream.  I dream of a world where Arabs and Jews can live together, side by side in peace and harmony. Where justice, respect for human rights and dignity for everyone prevail.

Sadly events in the Middle East do not inspire me to believe that this dream is achievable. Though I am an advocate and a great believer in peaceful, non-violent resolutions to conflicts but as a Lebanese person in this difficult time I really struggle to maintain this belief and hope. The war in Lebanon is not a distant occurrence that I hear or read about and watch in the media.   I am directly linked to the war through personal experience as a child I lived through many Israeli air raids, I saw the aftermath of these air raids and still live with many memories – not very pleasant memories.  Also I have family members who are living through the current bombardment and suffering the consequences of this war.

Many well meaning people have advised me about the content of my talk today and that I should be objective and rational.  But let me tell that I struggle to come to terms with my emotions towards Israeli’s action in Lebanon and I have many questions that I find hard to answer rationally and objectively….

The issue for me is not who is right or wrong. Rather the issue is: How can anyone give themselves the right to destroy a whole country to achieve their political goal? And please let us pose and note the enormity of this concept “the destruction of a whole country”. Israel has besieged and ravaged our country, created a humanitarian and environmental disaster, and shattered our infrastructure and economy, putting an intolerable strain on our social and economic systems. Fuel, food and medical equipment are in short supply; homes, factories and warehouses have been destroyed; roads severed, bridges smashed and airports disabled.  One million people have been displaced – just imagine this is twice the population of Tasmania. And this is not the first time Israel done this - it has already contributed to destroy Lebanon before, not that long ago when it invaded us in 1982 and killed 20,000 people and occupied 10% of the country for 18 years in spite of many United Nations resolutions calling for its withdrawal..  With these facts and these memories ---- How can I be rational?

What is unforgivable about the current event is the slow response of the world community and the tacit support by the United States of Israel’s actions in Lebanon. As an Arab Muslim I ask the question is the life of an Arab less important than the other, is the destruction of an Arabic country justifiable and on what grounds? In these times of ‘war on terror’ propaganda and the fear campaign that is waged by our politicians and the media nationally and internationally against Arabs and Muslims- we have been demonised and dehumanised … whereby being an Arab and a Muslim is becoming synonymous with being a terrorist, barbaric, uneducated, filthy, unsophisticated and many more unflattering descriptions. – To my dismay and disappointment I have been called most of the above in the last few weeks – I was called these names by people who regard themselves as civilised, sophisticated and educated and I naively  thought Tasmania is a tolerant society.

Well ….. One does not have to look far in history to realize that sadly and ironically the Jews have occupied this infamous position of being “dehumanized and demonised” in Europe in the first half of the 20^th century and as you know the rest was history or rather a human tragedy.  Does history need to repeat itself – but this time the victims are Arabs and Muslims – before the world wakes up from its catatonic state of hatred and intolerance?

I make no apologies for my intense emotions and my views about this issue – it is this passion that will be drive me to work tirelessly towards peace and tolerance in society.  It is this passion that will drive me to work to end this futile suffering of many and I speak here not only of Arabs but of Jews too. As many have rightly said there are no winners in wars.

The Arabs /Jews conflict has become a spectator sport for the world cheered by different sides of the political spectrum. We have become the modern day gladiators where our lives are pathetically connected to the whims of our current supper powers. 

We Arabs and Jews have carried the burden of hatred for far too long – it is time for us to join together and say no to violence and to oppose aggression and hatred not with despair and despondency but with hope and defiance.

I believe that despite of our sad history so far and despite the unbearable present, there are enough Israelis and Arabs who want to live peacefully as neighbours rather than enemies.  Arabs and Jews who want to share a good life together in the Middle East and build a future based on peace, tolerance and respect for the other.  Even if today their voices might be silenced and the idea of peace sounds like a utopian dream. I still believe that we can overcome hatred and that the dream of peace with justice and dignity for everyone is achievable and will ultimately be stronger than military might. – I believe that one day this dream will be a reality.

Thank you and please let us tolerate and respect our differences

Peace be with us all.