Meet a pillar of Hebron Community: He is the face that all foreign students from the EC in Hebron and beyond know. He knows is one of this characters that everyone has heard about. He has been an Imam for 10 years and also has a small coffee stall. Behind his imposing stature, Sheik as everybody calls him is a really kind man who has been helping the community for years. Why does he do it? Let´s find out.
He wears the traditional imam robe and the long beard, at first sight you he looks rather serious and a little intimidating even…After only a few minutes talking to him, it is clear this is a very kind and caring man. His English is in working progress and probably a matter of self-confidence (he had classes with the EC) but he can manage to express himself well. We met during one of the regular dinners he throws at his house, serving his wives famous Maklouba (Palestine´s National dish). He loves nothing more than watch the faces of his guests when he turns the big dish upside down! There, were guests from various nationalities mostly students/volunteers at the EC but also a team of American surgeons in Hebron on a humanitarian mission: to share some of their techniques with the surgeons from the local hospital. Some great hospitality were displayed and after dinner we were all invited to retire to the “Shisha Den”, a cozy cave probably dating from the 1300´s!
When asked why he is so generous and friendly to the visitors, he says: ”Hebron is the city of Prophet Ibrahim, he was a very generous prophet and I try to spread his words around by following his example”. I like to show foreigners that here everybody is welcome, though our country has been through a lot of suffering and the fact that we are still living under occupation, we haven´t lost our spirit and our capacity to enjoy meeting people from all over the world”. When asked if he has traveled, he says that he has been to Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia. His latest trip was in Malaysia during the Ramadan month and felt that it didn´t have as much history as he had imagined. He would like to go to Europe where some of this sisters and brothers are working. One of the volunteers as an Imam and helps in a Palestinian Refugee camp. It seems he comes from a family with strong values and a deep sense of belonging to a community.
Any volunteers/student from the EC who has met him will tell you stories of a visit to a Bedouin camp or lunch at a friend´s house on the way. The American surgeons say “In the week we were in Hebron, we heard of a so-called “Sheik” who was bringing free coffee & cakes to the doctors daily including us and when he learned that we wanted to meet him he invited us to his house!” How is that for the hospitality! When asked about it Sheik is very modest, “I do what I have to do. There is so much the hospital needs right now. I should know I work alongside it. Above all, the hospital needs doctors, the good ones often go to Saudi Arabia or even Israel because the pay is better. Sad but true. I am hoping more foreign organizations will come and help us and also that the Palestinian youth will go into the professions we really need here. Until then, I will make sure that all visitors to Hebron leave our city wanting to come back.