Israeli, Arab, Christian, and gay: Jonathan Elkhoury's story hits U.S. campuses
Jonathan Nizar Elkhoury wants minority populations in Israel to speak up about what life is really like in the Jewish state. He wants the world to know that Israel is a safe haven for persecuted Middle East minorities. For Elkhoury, this isn't just loose talk. He is gay, Christian, and a Lebanese refugee.
Elkhoury was 9 years old when his family fled war-torn Lebanon for Israel. His father was a soldier in the South Lebanon Army (SLA), which was established in 1982 and was supported by Israel in its fight against the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hezbollah. In 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from Lebanon and the SLA collapsed, leaving the militia with the unsavory options of finding asylum, surrendering, or being captured by the Hezbollah terror group and subsequently put on trial for treason.
After Elkhoury's father sought asylum in Israel in 2000, the rest of the family followed him in 2001 as persecution of Christians and SLA members became more widespread in Lebanon.
"The situation in Lebanon was really difficult... Hezbollah started entering homes of Christians and of those who were [from the] South Lebanon Army. [They were] just taking stuff, beating the women, the kids... it was really scary for us," Elkhoury said in an interview in the midst of his U.S. speaking tour, which covered nine college campuses from Feb. 1-11.
The speaking tour, dubbed "The Story of An Arab Refugee in Israel," was sponsored by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) in order to educate college students about Israel's diverse society and civil rights record.
"At a time when Israel is falsely denounced on college campuses as an apartheid state, Elkhoury's life and message are a powerful antidote to the distorted picture students are given," said Gilad Skolnick, director of campus programming for CAMERA.
"What I'm hoping is that [the students] will see from a personal perspective, from a minority who is living in Israel...more of how life is really like in Israel," Elkhoury said
http://www.heritagefl.com/story/2016/02/19/features/israeli-arab-christian-and-gay-jonathan-elkhourys-story-hits-us-campuses/5794.html
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