Nonie Darwish

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nonie Darwish

Nonie Darwish is a freelance writer, public speaker and founder of Arabs for Israel. The outspoken daughter of a "shahid" (martyr), Darwish attributes her father's death to "the Middle Eastern Islamic culture and the propaganda of hatred taught to children from birth". She states her mission is to "promote reconciliation, acceptance and understanding" between Israelis and Arabs.

Born in Cairo, Darwish moved to Gaza in the 1950s when her father, Lt. General Mustafa Hafez, was sent by Gamal Abdel Nasser to serve as commander of the Egyptian Army Intelligence in Gaza, which was then occupied by Egypt. Hafez founded the Fedayeen who launched raids across Israel's southern border, that between 1951 and 1956, killed some 400 Israelis. In July 1956 when Nonie was 8 years old, her father became the first targeted assassination carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces in response to Fedayeen's attacks, making him a martyr or "shahid". [1][2][3] During his speech announcing the nationalisation of the Suez Canal, Nasser vowed that all of Egypt would take revenge for Hafez's death. Nasser asked Nonie and her siblings, "Which one of you will avenge your father's death by killing Jews?" [4]

Darwish explains, "I always blamed Israel for my father's death, because that's what I was taught. I never looked at why Israel killed my father. They killed my father because the fedayeen were killing Israelis. They killed my father because when I was growing up, we had to recite poetry pledging jihad against Israel. We would have tears in our eyes, pledging that we wanted to die. I speak to people who think there was no terrorism against Israel before the '67 war. How can they deny it? My father died in it." [5]

After his death, her family moved to Cairo, where she attended Catholic high school and then the American University in Cairo, earning a BA in Sociology/Anthropology. She then worked as an editor and translator for the Middle East News Agency, until emigrating to the United States in 1978 with her husband, ultimately receiving United States citizenship. After arriving in the US, she began attending a non-denominational evangelical church. She no longer practices Islam because she feels that even mosques in the US have a radical, anti-American and an anti-peace message. About a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Darwish began writing columns critical of radical Islam.

Darwish's website Arabs for Israel describes itself as an organization of Arabs and Muslims who "respect and support the State of Israel", welcome a "peaceful and diverse Middle East", reject "suicide/homicide terrorism as a form of Jihad", and promote "constructive self-criticism and reform" in the Arab/Muslim world.

Palestinian native Kamal Nawash founder of Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism praises Darwish's work, but believes her decision to leave Islam dilutes her message. Nawash states, "She left the religion and now she's trying to reform it. We support her as much as possible, but the only people she can really speak to are the choir. Still, Darwish's voice is an important one no matter who listens to it. The Muslim community needs the controversy. For too long there has been a monopoly on who spoke for us." [6]