Some “Free Palestine” activists ask me: “Why don’t you stand with your Palestinian brothers and their aspirations?” I answer: “I do. I support their aspiration to live in dignity, prosperity, and peace side by side with Israel.” Then they say (in Arabic): “But we want to destroy Israel.” And my answer is: “Thank you for being clear. Then be equally clear when you speak on American campuses. Don’t present coexistence in English while advocating Israel’s destruction in Arabic. I have seen the darkness of religious extremism with my own eyes. I once swallowed some of its narratives myself, and I fought my way out of that darkness. So you expect someone like me, an Arab Muslim who has confronted radical Islamism to embrace a cause calling for another people’s destruction? No, thank you. I believe in God, and I have brains. I stand by Israel’s right to exist. The prophets, kings, and heroes I grew up revering including figures revered in the Quran are inseparable from the history of that land and its peoples. At the same time, I recognize Palestinian suffering and pain. It is real. Palestinians deserve dignity, security, prosperity, and a future for their children. But that future cannot be built around destroying Israel. It requires leadership capable of taking Palestinians toward coexistence and a better future rather than sacrificing generation after generation to an endless conflict. Two peoples can live. Two peoples can prosper. Neither needs to disappear for the other to have a future.” And then comes the silence. I have seen the darkness of hatred, and by the grace of God, I chose a different path. It’s my life mission now. Zero regrets. All praise is due to God. 🙏🏼♥️