Coffee, Cigarettes and Peace: Conversations with Activist Khaled Abu Awad

INbodied Life with Lauren Taus

Khaled is among the foremost figures in the Palestinian community working toward peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. He co-founded three groundbreaking organizations and he’s received a number of international prizes for his work, including the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of nonviolence and tolerance.

Khaled’s understanding of the conflict is based in deep personal knowledge of what it means to experience loss. He, his mother and many of his brothers spent time in Israeli prisons. His brother was killed by an Israeli soldier, and his son was left handicap after an attack. He chose to transform his personal pain into a deeper spiritual practice, one that demands acceptance. "I don’t experience occupation," he says. “There is no war inside of me.”

In this conversation, Khaled speaks to the importance of hope, love and acceptance as well as the power of friendship with the “other.” Khaled’s views are not necessarily mainstream, but he’s outspoken and eager to share the light of peace with his people over coffee and cigarettes.

What You Will Learn:

1. How one man turned pain into peace and purpose

2. Why the future will be shaped by women and the youth

2. The power of healing trauma

3. One Muslim perspective on prophecy today

Resources:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/khaled_abu_awwad_everyone_must_think_of_the_other/

https://www.friendsofroots.net/khaleds-bio-landing-page

https://www.icrc.org/en/international-review/article/interview-khaled-abu-awwad-and-roni-hirshenson