Fear no longer cripples me, I celebrate my power
Huda Abu Arqoub is the Co-Executive Director of Abraham’s Vision, a conflict transformation organization. One of her unique qualifications for this position is her background as a Palestinian born in Jerusalem and growing up in Hebron. (See Part 1)
Ms. Abu Arquob learned a powerful lesson when she was 17 years old. One day she came home to find over a dozen Israeli military jeeps in front of her house. The soldiers were in her home to arrest her 14 year old brother. They had tied and blindfolded him. He was screaming that he was ready to go to prison - to prove his manhood. At the time there were many women - her mother, aunts, and sisters - in the house but no men. Her father was at school teaching. Her uncle was in prison.
Her mother was attempting to negotiate with the Israeli senior officer. “My mother was talking to them in English which they respected, because she showed she was educated. I thought that my family members were all about to be killed.”
Ms. Abu Arqoub watched as her mother, in desperation, got a large stone to attack the officer. All the guns were aimed at her mother who was insisting that her brother was too young to be arrested. At last the senior officer ordered them to put their guns down and release her son.
When the women present in the household freed her brother, Ms. Abu Arquob felt the power in the room. She realized that women can fight and make changes.
As a 12 year old, Ms. Abu Arquob saw pictures of the 1982 massacre in Lebanon. She had spent her teenage years in fear that that could be her family. As the eldest of 12, she was preoccupied with the question of whether it would be most humane to be killed first or last when the soldiers came.
When she witnessed her mother’s stand against the Israeli soldiers, Ms. Abu Arquob’s perspective changed. She saw and felt power. She knew then, “My spirit was free.”
She vowed to break the cycle of victim/oppressor - to be a survivor. Today she celebrates that spirit and conveys it to her students. “I know my power and my true identity.”
(See Part 3)
Teresa Rose is a certified life coach, mediator, and has a life coaching business based in San Mateo. She is passionate about helping transform internal and interpersonal conflicts into growth and peace of mind.
Email Teresa: Teresa@PeaceOfMindCoaching.com and view www.PeaceOfMindCoaching.com.
Click on the subscribe button above to receive email notification when she publishes a story.
Comments