An untold story of two religions in Gaza
In busy Rimal street of Gaza City, a small shop offers Arabian staple food – beans, chickpeas and falafel. Though it can’t serve many customers, the vendor somehow connects Christians and Muslims with tolerant minds.
Khuder Akila, a 60-year-old retailer, pulls followers of two faiths together with no special powers. Born to parents who would bear many pregnancies but no infant living beyond a week, Khuder’s mother shared her grief with Christians neighbor Ume Rizik. She was advised to baptize her next baby in the Church of St Perfirius in Gaza. The desperate mom exactly did the same. Her Muslim son underwent baptism like any Christian child.
Ume Rizik named her son Khuder Akila, who lives the life of a Muslim but keeps a cozy corner for Christians sharing the neighborhood or Gaza strip. He was not an exception as tradition of ‘baptizing Muslim children’ in special cases is centuries old. Though harmony in multi-religious Gaza has plummeted, such customs have been hard to unlearn.
To the family’s pleasant surprise, a week passed without bad news. Baptized Khuder enjoyed good health with his twin sister. However, not-so-young mom of twins could not breast feed both her children to their satisfaction. Again the Christian neighbor came to the rescue and volunteered to feed Khuder with her baby Rizik.
The pair lived like real brothers, sharing the bonds of lactation and neighbored. The Christian woman always enjoyed the title and respect of a mother from Khuder. He not only shared his room with Rizik but also celebrated Christmas together as well.
During Ramadan, Rizik would not eat due to Muslim worship of Soum (fasting from dawn to dusk). The duo always wore new clothes and enjoyed sweets on Eid al-Fitr and al-Adha.
As he grew, Khuder opened an Arabic food stall in one square meter shop. Suddenly a tragedy shook his life.
"Some 15 years ago, I lost my mother Ume Rizik that day. May God rest her soul in peace”, he recalls in a somber voice.
Shocked Khuder hardly knew what he was waited for him in a life, already filled with surprises.
“Women prepared her dead body for burial service but Christian hanote (man responsible for laying the coffin in grave) demanded huge money for service, which we did not have,” he explains. When family and friends stood dumbfounded with the dead body, “I would bury my mom . . . Yes, I would.”
He laid Ume Rizik to rest following the rites and the funeral of Christian service. Her’s was first burial of its kind but not the last in the region.
Following such an emotional yet satisfying experience, Khuder could never say no if a Christian family asked for the same. The Palestinian suddenly discovered that he can not only return the favor but also adopt it as a profession.
Back-to-back burials of Christians by a Muslim raised eyebrows in both the communities. Khuder’s defence was simple: “Death does not differentiate between a Christian or a Muslim . . . My religion Islam teaches me to bury the dead with honor.”
Majority inside the Gaza Strip endorses his work being symbol of ‘religious and social harmony.’ However, Khuder had his share of odds.
With a flat face he says, “Some Muslims, who misunderstand Islam, refuse to buy food from me for I bury bodies of Christians?” His job is to lower the coffin in grave with the help of some men and ropes, without ever touching the body.
Raed Abu Kwik has been buying breakfast from here many years. “We respect and appreciate his work. He is a symbol of tolerance in Islam,” he explains as Arafat prepares his order.
Hardliners exist in every community and each religion. Some Christians don’t converse with Khuder considering him an intruder.
Once Khuder was sitting with a Christian friend, suddenly his cousin arrived there. “My friend asked him to shake hands with me and win 1,000 Dinar. Shockingly, the man refused to greet me!” He found such behavior shocking and disappointing.
After a deep silence, Khuder says: “I seek forgiveness and compassion from Allah for the dead Christian as I do for the Muslim ones.”
Ever since Khuder got involved with Christian funeral service, he finds himself more attached to Islam. “I find Christians more committed to their religion than us, thus inspiring me to be the same for Islam,” he observes.
Khuder has transferred these values to his six children as well.
Arafat, the eldest amongst his four sons who helps him in the shop, says: “My father has taught us with action the difference of opinion or religion within people and how to embrace the other nonetheless.”
Though in minority but significant Christian population in Gaza has lived peacefully with their Muslim neighbors in Gaza strip.
Imad Al-Souri, a Christian from Rimal street, describes Muslim-Christian harmony in Gaza as if “the two communities practiced the same religion.”
Palestinian identity overrides the religious faith in youth as well.
Esra Hassouna, a Muslim girl, says, “I eat and drink with my Christian friends; they fast with me in Ramadan and invite me for Christmas celebrations.”
Now aging Khuder stays at home after his health deteriorated a few months ago. However, his passion to spread “fraternity and love among Muslims and Christians in the Gaza Strip” hasn’t dimmed.
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