Carena Hadi: On Being Palestinian At GFU
Reported By: Sierra Reisman
Photographed By: Allison Martinet
Carena Hadi is a sophomore marketing major at George Fox University (GFU). She’s a marketing intern for UREC, a student ambassador, and involved in spiritual life. In many ways, she’s a regular GFU student and a well-connected member of the community. But Carena is also Palestinian-American, and her life has been impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Being a Christian, a Palestinian-American, and a GFU student places Carena in a unique and challenging position as she navigates campus culture.
Carena chose GFU in part because of the numerous community-building opportunities the school provided. In some ways, she’s found this community: in her on-campus involvement, supportive friendships, and close connections with university pastors. But in other ways, it’s deeply isolating to have members of your family and your culture facing so much violence while at an institution with a culture that offers little support. Carena shared that she is frustrated with the minimal reaction to the violence she sees around her, explaining that “educating people about it [the humanitarian crisis in Gaza] sometimes feels like I’m talking to a wall with the people I'm sharing with, because they don’t really know much about it. There’s a lot of silence here.”
Being a Palestinian Christian is also a challenge, especially since many people are unaware that Palestinian Christians exist. Coming to GFU strengthened Carena’s faith, but it’s hard not to question things after witnessing so many Christians take uneducated stances toward the violence in Gaza. For Carena, GFU pastors have been the biggest support, as seeing “people who are deep-rooted in Christianity that know about it and are educated has helped me not question my faith as much.”
“Silence” is the primary word Carena used to describe GFU’s culture toward the Palestinian crisis. Most other students she has conversations with tend to be particularly uneducated about the issue. These students have a very “baseline” level of understanding, and sparking conversations can be difficult. “There is just a lot of silence still. I don’t know if silence is from not knowing, or not agreeing and not wanting to talk about it further.” The challenge is finding people who “have the social awareness to understand. Some people who don’t know but are willing to learn.”
“There is a misconception that if you’re being pro-Palestine you’re being anti-Semitic, but you’re really being anti-Zionist and standing against genocide.” Carena tries to educate those around her whenever possible, but she wishes there were more institutional support. This could come in the form of more social-justice-related campus events, and opening space for social-justice clubs and more student activism.
Institutionally, GFU itself is very quiet on the issue. Events like the recent Woolman Peacemaking Forum talk by Jonathan Kuttab are an excellent start; however, GFU often tries to toe a neutral line on social justice issues. For students personally impacted by these issues, such neutrality can come across as apathy. “People don’t know about things until they see it, they just assume things right away.” Awareness matters.
Being a Palestinian-American Christian and witnessing the violence in Gaza is challenging and painful. “If Jesus was born today, he would have been born under the rubble,” said Hadi. GFU students as a campus and a community can do more, and it can start with simply educating ourselves and being willing to speak up about issues that matter.