Idaho faith: Practicing hospitality, acceptance is blessing for both recipients, givers

During our weekly shopping at a local grocery store, my wife and I noticed some newcomers dressed differently and speaking in a language other than English. We surmised that they were probably Ukrainians making up the latest wave of refugees fleeing the horror and chaos of war.

Refugees began arriving in Idaho in 1975 after Gov. John Evans established the Indochinese Refugee Assistance Program in response to the need for all states to participate in the resettlement of refugees fleeing the overthrow of U.S.-supported governments in Southeast Asia.

Shortly after my arrival in Boise in 1996, I interacted with Kurdish and Bosnian refugees who were resettled here in the mid-1990s after fleeing their war-torn countries. A tragic result of the Bosnian conflict was ethnic cleansing, primarily carried out by the Bosnian Serbs.

Following the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the Kurds’ plight captured the world’s attention when televisions showed images of them fleeing Saddam Hussein’s army. Even though most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, the regime of Saddam did not have any qualms about gassing them with biological nerve gas. I recall Kurdish students at Boise State University showing me horrendous pictures of men, women and children lying dead in the streets of villages.

More recently, the Treasure Valley welcomed Syrian refugees who fled the terror, murder and violence of the Middle East. By all accounts, the Syrian refugees probably make up one of the largest groups of people being displaced in recent years.

Many years ago, I was honored to give a reflection on the practice of hospitality at St. John’s Cathedral during our annual Thanksgiving interfaith service. I used the example of the tent of Abraham, considered the patriarch of the three monotheistic religions.

According to Jewish tradition, Abraham built a huge house or tent with entrances on all four sides. No matter what direction a wayfarer came, he was always welcome. Abraham’s tent was open because he wanted to welcome any passer-by, stranger or not, enemy or friend, and give them relief — albeit for a few days.

I recently came across an interesting story about a Jewish rabbi who was conversing with two of his friends. The rabbi asked one of the men, “How do you know when the night is over and a new day has begun?” His friend replied, “When you look into the east and can distinguish a sheep from a goat, then you know the night is over and the day has begun.”

The second man was asked the same question. He replied, “When you look into the distance and can distinguish an olive tree from a fig tree, then you know morning has come.”

They then asked the rabbi how he could tell. He thought for a time and said, “When you look into the east and see the face of a woman and you can say, ‘She is my sister.’ And when you look into the east and see the face of a man and can say, ‘He is my brother.’ Then you know the light of a new day has come.”

It is hard to imagine how we have ended up in a world divided into segments with hatred for one another. The wise prophets of the Abrahamic religions remind us that humankind all started with Adam and Eve, and that we all belong to the same family. And it seems that we have forgotten to practice the main two commandments in all three religions: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

In Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we read: “Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.”

In Islamic thought, discussions on hospitality focus largely on the host/guest relationship and host/traveler. Islam holds hospitality as a virtue that lies at the very basis of the Islamic ethical system, a concept rooted in the pre-Islamic Bedouin virtues of welcome and generosity in the harsh desert environment. The Prophet is reported to have said, “There is no good in the one who is not hospitable.”

Much of the Quranic emphasis is on giving to those in need, whether through tax, alms or charity, as a way of creating new relationships in a new and more generous social order. But the themes and persons, around which this ethical imperative to give and share is framed, are central to a noble character.

By practicing hospitality and acceptance, we can practice love for one another in tangible ways. The blessing is not just for those who receive. When we give, it may be even more so.

Said Ahmed-Zaid is a Boise State University engineering professor and the 2004 recipient of the annual HP Award for Distinguished Leadership in Human Rights. The Idaho Statesman’s weekly faith column features a rotation of writers from many different faiths and perspectives.