5:00pm
Across the street from University City Church
604 Doug Mayes, Charlotte NC 28262
University City Church & Pastor Stevens will be hosting "A Night To Honor Israel". Write letters to Minister Stevens at pastorstevens@theuniversitycitychurch.com or call him at UCC Main Office: (704) 716-3610
UCC Main Fax: (704) 716-3620.
Please see a letter below that I sent to him back in 2007 when his church hosted the hate monger, John Hagee. The protest will be right across from the church. Please pass the word around. Encourage all of your friends to participate in our silent peace protest.
Here is some info about pastor Stevens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfUsJUUYAws
In Solidarity with Peace and Justice,
Khalid Hijazi, sumood67@yahoo.com
Details about "A Night To Honor Israel":
A Night to Honor Israel
Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 6 p.m.
University City Church
604 Doug Mayes, Charlotte NC 28262
NO CHARGE - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - LIMITED SEATING
Kosher Reception for all Pastors, Rabbi's, Media, CUFI On Campus Liaisons and Spouses.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
- Please sign up to RSVP to the top right or bottom of page -
RSVP requested but not required
Keynote Speaker: Pastor Scott Thomas
Florida State Director,
Senior Pastor, Without Walls Central Church in Lakeland, FL
Hosted by:
CUFI State Director, Pastor Michael Stevens & University City Church of God in Christ.
***************
Khalid Hijazi's letter that he sent to Pastor Stevens on February 7th, 2008:
Dear Pastor Michael Stevens, Sr.
I have come to learn that your respected Church, Universal City
Church is going to host a speech titled "a Night to Honor Israel" on
Feb 19, by Christians for Israel's President, John Hagee.
While it is commendable to introduce your Church audience to an
important topic about Israel and Palestine, it is essential to
realize that when approaching such a heated topic, one should closely
adhere to the universal laws of justice and equality. Most
importantly, tackling such a topic in a Church of God should
accordingly commands its participants to be just and fair. It is
unfortunate, however, to hear that your church has selected a person
who is completely biased toward Israel against the Palestinians. John
Hagee will attempt to convince your audience how God is fulfilling
his promise through the inhumane and illegal Israeli occupation of
Palestine. There is absolutely nothing sacred or holy about
incarcerating the entire Palestinian people inside a wall of
apartheid which is over 600km in length and 12 ft in height. On the
contrary, such actions by Israel are un-Godly and criminal in nature.
Israel's actions have been condemned by the United Nations (over 80
U.N violations), world human rights organizations, such as Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem, and by many men of
conscience, such as Former U.S President, Jimmy Carter and South
African Archbishop, Dismond Tutu.
Dear Pastor Stevens, our modern history is abundant of sad
incidents of how unjust treatments of an entire people were
exonerated and commended by those who had wrongly misinterpreted the
words of God. Our very city of Charlotte has its fair share of such
actions against the African American people. Looking back onto our
recent history, we now realize that God would never have sanctioned
slavery, racism and inequality between the people. Today, we also
realize that the massive decimation of the native Indian tribes was
not a Godly sign of the Promised Land. It was a criminal act of
genocide.
By hosting John Hagee at your church, you will be welcoming apartheid
and policies of racism upon another people. Fred Alexander, former
mayor pro tem of Charlotte, who in 1968, succeeded in demolishing
fences that separated white and black graves in Charlotte's
cemeteries, will turn in his grave. So are the masses of people who
had spent their lives fighting slavery, Jim Crow Laws and citizen
inequality. Your actions will breach their very legacy.
In order for Israel to come into existence and prosper as an
exclusivist state that serves only its Jewish members, Muslim and
Christian Palestinians, who are the indigenous inhabitants of the
holy land, long before the prophet Abraham ever set foot in
Palestine, had to be ethnically cleansed from their land. In 1948,
Israel, using all methods of terror and intimidation and with the
help of colonialist Britain, forced more 85% of the Palestinians to
leave their land. More than 500 villages and towns were completely
razed to the ground. All of this wanton aggression was carried out in
order to make room for the recent European Jewish immigrants.
Palestine was not a promise by God, it was colonized by Great Britain
and given or sold to Israel. A similar example of Britain's immoral
actions was committed against the natives of Diego Garcia, an island
in the Indian Ocean which was occupied by the British and sold to the
U.S.A in 1971. Its entire citizens were kicked out of their homes in
order to make room for the American military base. Such hegemonic
practices are not unique in our recent history. Rather, what is
unique now a days is that Israel is the only power in this world that
has not abandoned the narrative of colonialism by insisting on
treating the Palestinians as a dispensable people.
Today, in order to drive out the rest of the Palestinians who still
inhabit the remaining tiny parts of Palestine, Israel has managed to
make their life a living nightmare. It has installed over 600 check
points and road blocks between Palestinian villages and towns. As a
result, Palestinians are unable to freely access their local schools,
hospitals, farms, and all other places of interest. The city of
Bethlehem, the most revered city to Christians all over the world, is
totally surrounded by a 12ft wall of separation. Palestinians today
are having a very difficult time leading a basic life with minimal
dignity.
Therefore, I utterly implore you not to host this event in your
respected church as it will only exacerbate the agony of the besieged
Palestinian people. As a man of God, I hope that you will apply God's
commands of justice and equality between all the people. Should you
have the need to further learn about the conflict in the Holy Land,
please don't hesitate to contact me.
In Solidarity with Peace and Justice,
Khalid Hijazi
Charlotte, NC
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