The Rev. Dr. Alex Awad, a Palestinian Christian pastor, wrote "Through the Eyes of the Victims." He and his wife Brenda have been commissioned as United Methodist missionaries since 1994, serving in Israel/Palestine.

At 7:30 p.m. he will participate in the Holy Thursday service in the church sanctuary.

The public is invited.

Rev. Awad is pastor of East Jerusalem Baptist Church and a professor at Bethlehem Bible College in Israel.

Using maps to help explain the history of the conflict, Awad will focus on the challenges the conflict poses for the Christian community. He will also discuss justice and nonviolence as they relate to the Bible and the Holy Land.

In a United Methodist News Service commentary last fall, Awad cautioned American Christians to learn what Middle Eastern and European Christians learned centuries ago before "getting caught in the crusade against Muslims."

The lesson is simple: Live in peace with your Muslim neighbors and they will live in peace with you; oppress them and they will fight back. "Even if we believe or assume that Islam is evil, are we called to 'repay evil for evil' or 'overcome evil with good?,' he asked, citing Romans 12:17-21.

"I lived most of my life as a member of a small Christian community within a large Islamic population," Awad wrote. "The church that I now pastor in East Jerusalem is located in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. I know from first-hand experience ... most Muslims do not hate Christians. Most Muslims have nothing to do with terrorism. The radical Muslim factions ... are Muslims who are driven more by political reasons than religious agendas."

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Awad's formative years were marked by the death of his father, who was caught in the crossfire between Israeli and Jordanian troops in l948. The family became refugees and his mother was faced with raising seven children between the ages of 6 months and 11 years.

After high school, Awad felt called to Christian ministry.

"One out of every five humans, each of whom Christ calls us to love as we love ourselves, is a Muslim. Attacking Islam or hating Muslims will not only hinder the cause of Christ in the world, but will also endanger the lives of Christians who live as minorities in the Islamic world."

According to Awad, Palestinians seeking to end the Israeli occupation of what they perceive as their homeland sought help from the United Nations, the world's superpowers and Arab states, all to no avail. "Frequent peace conferences did not stop the confiscation of their land and the denial of their human rights," he said.

"In their utter frustration with all options, some of them turned to radical Islamic movements," he said. "Islamic movements such as Hamas and Hezbollah are relatively new in the long history of the Arab-lsraeli conflict. Nevertheless, most Muslims do not subscribe to these movements."

Awad said it is a grave error to see "all Muslims in the light of the bloody crimes of September 11 or in view of the dreadful suicide bombings on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv."

The Awads live with their son Randy, 18, in the Jerusalem area. Their son Basem, 23, lives in Maryland and their daughter Chrisy lives in Florida.