Another Instance of Travel Opening Eyes: A British Muslim Changes His Mind About Israel
I recently wrote about Nicky Larkin, the Irish filmmaker, who changed his views from being anti-Israel to being pro-Israel after he actually visited. Travel, as I have pointed out so many times, has the power to open our eyes.
Here it is again, another story of the power of travel and its impact on the Jewish community: Kasim Hafeez is a British Muslim of Pakistani descent who grew to hate Israel as a result of the pressure of his community. In college especially he was taught that Israel was constantly perpetrating brutalities against the Palestinians. He and his friends used this to bully Jewish students on campus.
However, he changed his tune after a visit to Israel in 2007. The same summer when Rabbi Ben and I first met and opened our eyes to one another, Mr. Hafeez opened his eyes to the reality of life in Israel. His experience was overwhelmingly positive and debunked the lies and propaganda he’d been told.
Today, he is on the advisory board of Stand With Us, a pro-Israel advocacy group. He travels and speaks to groups all over the world, especially on college campuses.
If you want to know the truth about Israel, or any other place in the world for that matter, visit it and open your eyes to its reality… before opening your mouth to speak about it!
