Jihadist’s Daughter Advocates for Israel

The daughter of a “shahid”—a martyr—sharply criticized extremist jihads last night, asking people to speak out in support of Israel in order to achieve peace in the troubled Middle East.

In a talk hosted by Harvard Students for Israel (HSI), Nonie Darwish relayed to the audience how the Israeli Defense Forces assassinated her father—who she said had led destructive Fedayeen attacks across Israel’s border—in the 1950s, when she was just eight years-old.

She cited her father’s death as one consequence of what she called the hateful mentality that radical Islamists instill in the Arab world.

“Which one of you will avenge your father’s death by killing Jews?” Darwish said she was asked afterwards.

During her childhood, she said, hating Israel was central to her culture.

“Arabs are our friends, Jews are our dogs. These were our play songs in our schools,” Darwish said.

As part of her goal of peace among Jews and Arabs, Darwish founded Arabs for Israel, which calls on Arabs and Muslims to accept Israel as a “blessing to our neighborhood,” according to the group’s Web site.

Her book “Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror,” released this month, further details the 30 years she spent in the Middle East and her opinions on Jihad.

Rebecca M. Rohr ’08, president of HSI, said that Darwish’s message was an important and exceptional one.

“I think that her personal story and personal journey and transformation speak more powerfully than something like reading an academic journal would,” Rohr said.

“It’s very rare to present a voice like hers from within the Arab community,” she added.

The talk attracted an approximately 100-member audience, forcing many attendees to stand or sit on the floor in the Emerson Hall classroom.

Some in attendance said they agreed with Darwish’s call to fight against radical Islam.

“It’s important to keep this going,” Or Gadish ’10 said. “Even if it’s only 10 people...10 people will understand that there is freedom besides Jihad. Then there is hope. There is a chance for peace.”

Darwish said that she especially wanted people to know that there are Arabs and Muslims stridently opposing terrorism.

“We have to break the silence,” she said.