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Letter of Reconciliation by Abdel

Dear Regina,

My name is Abdel and I am a Libyan Muslim from Benghazi. I recently heard your address to the United Nations, which is unfortunately nothing new to me. Thank you for your efforts to bring about the admittance of truth; you are certainly right, this is the only way to reconciliation.

My mother grew up in the centre of Benghazi, in the blaad, or old town, which was an area rich in Jewish culture and shops. She had Jewish neighbours and vividly remembers the day of the raids in Benghazi; she tells me of the moment she went to the balcony and cried when she saw the destruction of her neighbour's home. She could not stop weeping at the site of her innocent Jewish neighbours' lives in a state of destruction. In later years, I recall my great grandmother, also a Benghazi woman of the blaad, speaking of the hamaj of that day. Hamaj is a word in the Libyan dialect which means chaotic and uncultured or barbaric behaviour. My family as a whole mourn that day.

I tell you this story because it is a personal story and it is my way to tell you that there are many Libyan Muslims like my mother and I who also mourn these events. Unfortunately many Muslims in our days confuse various terms, concepts and ideologies - Judaism, Zionism, Israeli politics and so forth. If one disagrees with the ill-treatment of Palestinians as I do, then this is one story, but to blame or collectively punish the Jews of Libya was totally un-Islamic. I am devoutly Muslim, and understand that practically all the Jews of Libya loved Libya as their home and were friendly and courteous citizens. In the times of Muhammad (peace be upon him), honourable Jews like many of my former Jewish neighbours were treated with respect. The son of Umar ibn al Khattab (the great companion and second Caliph) had a son named Abd Allah who once asked his servant after slaughtering a sheep, “Did you give some to our Jewish neighbour?”, meaning did you share a gift with them. How far we are from those Muslims, or the Muslims of Spain, and how murderous were those of Benghazi who shared no gifts with their Jewish neighbours but blood. What I mean to say is that a human is a human and must be treated with mercy and respect. What is unfortunately happening to Palestians today and in 1948 has nothing to do with this, and I am totally opposed to the collective punishment that was inflicted on Middle Eastern Jews. As a Muslim, I have an obligation to treat honourable Jews with respect just as Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Abd Allah did in ancient times. What happened to you was not done under my name or support, or the support of my mother, my grandmother, my great grandmother, or our religious teachings.

I hope this letter to you will begin the process of reconciliation you yearn for, and I hope that my personal account shows how many Libyans felt on those miserable days. I always try to remain positive and I sincerely hope that this chapter of our mutual history can be dealt with, and that we can both move on. My sincere thanks for your efforts.

Shalom,
Abdel