Armageddon and Ben Hur

I promised that I do not take sides and I keep the balance whatever it takes.

Now I try the impossible, I try to do my best to remain the observer while putting out the value and message I intend to share and you tell me how it works for you.

I grew up in a Western ideology. I have read the book Exodus from Leon Uris, and I have watched the movie Ben Hur played by Charlton Heston (more than once) and all I knew about 'Arabs' was how aggressive they can be and all I knew about the situation is the birthrights of the Jews over Jerusalem.

After I moved to the Middle East and I have got the place to let out all my anger what I accumulated from my childhood against a whole race for a simple reason, they were blamed already. They were the black ships of the World.

But ten years is a lot and after a while my viewpoint started to open up and the word 'Arab' started to unfold to Libanese, Egyptian, Iranian, Maroccon, Tunisian, Palestinian, Emirati etc. And all of them gave me a special flavor of their unique culture. I had the privilege to see and taste their food, their life, their culture all the different customs and it was the entrance into a brand-new world. They became not just Arabs anymore.

It was a Libanese man who brought down the stars from Heaven and spread it in front of my feet and made me feel happy and safe, and we even watched Ben Hur together. And it was a Muslim guy who taught me patience by the Koran.

On that moment I had to realize that my anger against Men was misplaced, and it was projected out to a race, which has nothing to do with my childhood tragedy.

There is a part in that movie Ben Hur, when he decides to turn against Rome for the wrongdoing of Messala, who destroyed him and took everything away from him. Ester stood up in front of him and said the words which just burnt into my memory for a life: 'I know there is a law in life. That blood begets more blood, as dog begets dogs. Death generates Death. The vulture breeds the vulture. But the voice I heard on the hill today said 'love your enemy, do good with those who spitfully use you' ...It was Juda Ben Hur I loved, what has become of him? You seem to be now the very thing you set out to destroy, giving evil for evil. Hatred is turning you to stone. It's as though you had become Messala! I have lost you Judah. '