Christian Palestinian spreads message of peace

IOWA CITY - Daoud Nassar's message is simple: “We refuse to be enemies.”

Nassar, 39, is a Palestinian Christian and founder of Tent of Nations, a farm and camp he hopes will educate Palestinians, Israelis and others about peace and working together.

 “Instead of teaching how we should have peace, we are learning by doing,” Nassar said Wednesday. “Peace should grow from the ground, in the people, it can't be dictated. People need to live it to believe it.”

Nassar is in Iowa this week delivering his message of peace and talking about Tent of Nations, which he built on the farmstead his family has owned since 1916. His Iowa tour includes stops in Des Moines, Iowa City, Pella and West Branch, and the remainder of his stay in the United States will be in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Connecticut.

Nasser's grandfather bought the land, known as Daher's Vineyard, southwest of Bethlehem in the West Bank in 1916 and lived in the natural caves located there. His father took over the farm and Nasser grew up in the caves, as well, while his family worked the farm.

 “My father always wanted to use this land as a peace project but he died before fulfilling his dream,” Nassar said. He said the camp was started in memory of his father's dream.

While at the camp, visitors help with the grape and olive harvests, and then tour the land in the afternoon. Evenings are spent fireside in discussion about backgrounds and beliefs, Nassar said, to help everyone learn from each other.

The farm is now surrounded by settlements and the Separation Wall, which marks areas designated for annexation by Israel. The family been offered several proposals from those wishing to purchase the land, but Nassar said the land isn't for sale. Disputes about the family's ownership have been heard in military and Israeli courts since 1991, he said.

“We will never give up, we believe in justice and in the good this farm is doing,” he said.

More information about the camp and Nassar's family is on the camp's Website,

www.tentofnations.org