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| Zak Ibrahim | Image (c) Sharon Mattson |
When it comes down to the basics, life is
really just about choice and consequence. And that can define the route your
life takes: whether on the side of peace, or otherwise. Zak Ebrahim embodies
the pragmatism in making that very choice in life, and his story is a beautiful
reminder that we are inherently capable of being peaceful, and powerful in the
manifestation of that choice. We had the honour of interviewing Zak following a
very tearful and moving experience of watching his TEDTalk. Excerpts follow.
Could you start by telling us your story? Of course,
it is there in the talk, but this is just for the benefit of our readers.
I was born in the US, in Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania. My father was from Egypt and was a Muslim, and an engineer by
profession. My mother was a Catholic and a grade school teacher. We were a
normal family, and there was nothing about us that you'd say wouldn't fall in
line with the usual, average American family. We were a devout Muslim family
when it came to faith. When I was around six years old, my father came to be
involved with the group of men who were responsible for the bombing of the
World Trade Centre. On November 5, 1990,
my father walked into a hotel in Manhattan and assassinated Rabbi Meir
Kahane, the leader of the Jewish Defense League. The government had classified
the Jewish Defence League as a terrorist organisation in the US, and many saw
this act of my father's as one extremist killing another. The New York City
Police concluded that my father was acting alone, and found him guilty not of
murder initially, but for the possession of weapons - and later, murder. He was
sentenced to between 7 and 22 years in prison, and a large part of my childhood
went into visiting him in prison with the hope that he would come out soon and
we would be a happy family again. My father maintained his innocence
throughout, but, while still in jail, he plotted with a few other men, to put
together what was known as the "Day of Terror". Their idea was to
attack a dozen landmarks across New York City, including tunnels, synagogues
and the headquarters of the United Nations. However, those plans were foiled by
an FBI informant who was part of the plot. But, ultimately, my father went on
to being convicted for his involvement during the trial for the bombing of the
World Trade Centre in 1993.
How did the transition happen for you personally?
Children are impressionable and tend to imbibe perceptions from adults around
them - how did you keep yourself grounded in your beliefs of peace?
Telling my story is not something new to
me. Before I began speaking publicly, I faced a lot of reactions around me to the things that happened. There were a
few people within and outside the Muslim community saw the assassination of the
Rabbi as a good thing for Muslims. He was responsible for the murder of many
Muslims, and as a young child, there was a way for me to justify the violent
choice my father made. There was a portion of the Muslim community that
believed that Meir Kahane’s assassination was justifiable because he was an
extremist, while many others believed that the violence was wrong, and simply
didn't want to have anything to do with us. We were ostracised and had to hide
our identity. After the World Trade Centre was bombed in 1993, there was no
justification for my father's violence and his radical ideology. It took me
many years to see that the assassination of the Rabbi was inexcusable, too.
Violence begets violence, and that's how it is. The assassination of the Rabbi
did nothing for the Israel-Palestine conflict, which at that time was cited as one
of the reasons for the assassination. In Israel itself, his son and wife were
killed, and a lot of other lives were lost. The circle of violence just
continued.
What made you make that choice to be peaceful, to
abandon violence?
While growing up, we lived a very unstable
life. My father was the breadwinner. My mother started off with training to be
a teacher, but dropped out to take care of the family, and then became a single
mother - but not just that, a single mother with a notorious and infamous husband.
We moved a lot, about 30 times in my life so far, just to deal with my father's
imprisonment. We were met with a lot of hatred, and a lot of people wanted to
take revenge on us for what my father did, so there were a lot of death
threats, too. Since I moved so much, I had to change schools as much. I was
always the new kid, incredibly quiet, and had this strange sounding name. I was
bullied very badly. I didn't realise it at the time, but the bullying actually
gave me a very beautiful lesson - the value of empathy. When it came to my
perpetuation of stereotypes, I decided not to treat people in any way that was
different from how I wanted to be treated. To indoctrinate someone, it is
important to isolate them from the community you want to demonise. Stereotypes
are always broken with interaction. In 2000, during the presidential elections,
through a college prep program, I took part in the National Youth Convention in
Philadelphia. My group's focus was on youth violence, and since I was a victim
of bullying for most of my life, this was a subject I was very passionate about.
The members of our group came from different walks of life, and towards the
end, I found that one of the kids I had made friends with was Jewish. It took
me this interaction to realise that there is no difference - we are all the
same. I had never had a Jewish friend before, and frankly I felt a sense of
pride in having been able to overcome a barrier that I believed to be simply insurmountable.
Religion, race, sexual orientation - none of these things take away from who
people are deep down. I moved away from the ideology I was familiar with, and
that made me make the choice.
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| Zak Ebrahim | Image (c) Sharon Mattson |
What made you tell your story? Was there a conscious
choice behind it?
I did it for many reasons. After 9/11, I
saw the many different ways in which Muslims were being portrayed and
stereotyped. I am an atheist, but I work with many different organisations that
promote work on inter-faith dialogue, and have mutual respect for each other's
beliefs and live together without violence. Just because I am an atheist and
don't subscribe to a religion does not mean that I close myself off to those
who believe in a given religion or faith. I am moved and motivated by people
who work hard to make the world a better place. I always tell people that it is
important to get involved in these efforts, and that motivates me.
Thank you for sharing your story so candidly. Talking
about it isn't easy, we understand.
It is not easy to talk or write about your
worst experiences. When I was working on the book for TED, it was emotionally
tough to confront these experiences, but it was a therapeutic process. It was
amazing to see the support I had - about 99.97% people were positive, and I was
given things I never thought I'd get. Bullying causes low self-esteem, and I
was never, ever aware that I would get what I got later in life.
What were your challenges like? Did telling your story
come with a price?
The main concern of speaking publicly was
the exposure to the potential of danger. My family has received death threats
and people wanted to take revenge. Safety was a concern. But, there have been
no regrets. I believe I've been incredibly lucky. As a 14-15 year old kid
growing up in the ghetto, I never thought I'd have the opportunities I have
today, but I am very lucky to have had all the positive and the negative
experiences and influences in my life.
What are your goals for the future? You are a
peace-worker, and what do you see for the world around you, through your
actions?
My path seems to be changing every year.
Because of the book and the public speaking experiences, I've interacted with
many people. I spoke about faith, sharing the stage with Archbishop Desmond
Tutu in London. I represented the forum as an atheist there. I want to start a
non-profit which will help and attend to youth who are vulnerable and
susceptible to indoctrination. I know what it is to grow up in poverty and
deprivation of opportunity, and lack. I want to reach out to young people in
these sections of society, and tell them that their choices matter, and that
they have every shot at a bright future as everyone else.
To see Zak's TED Talk, click here
To read the transcript of Zak's TED Talk, click here
To know more about Zak, check out his website here and
buy a copy of his book "The Terrorist's Son" here. You
can also read our review of the book on our PeaceReads initiative site.