"Singing [Allah's] Song in a Foreign Land:" Palestinians and Christian Zionism in America Restricted; Files Only
AlRaheb, Tala (Fall 2023)
Abstract
This dissertation focuses on Palestinian Christians who reside outside of Palestine. Whether they were forcefully expelled by Israel or voluntarily immigrated, Palestinian Christians in America mourn the reality of their displacement from their homeland. For decades they have sung songs of justice and peace in the face of theological marginalization and political alienation. In order to turn our attention to the presence of Palestinian Christians in the US and their religious and political mobilization efforts, this dissertation examines the variety of ways they “Sing the songs of Allah while in a foreign land.” I ask: How do Palestinian Christians speak theologically and politically about their land and people while living in the diaspora and among those who hold differing theological beliefs regarding Zion?
Through examining family and public archives, as well as employing narrative inquiry, I center Palestinian Christian voices and highlight the creative agency of Palestinian Christians in a migratory context from the 1920s to the present. Additionally, I decenter Christian Zionism from scholarly focus by emphasizing how Palestinian Christians grapple with Christian Zionist political and religious support for Israel’s occupation of the land and displacement of the Palestinian community. The Palestinian Christians featured in this dissertation reside in various states, including New York, Iowa, North Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Through analyzing their lived realities, I argue that Palestinian Christians and Palestinian American Christians, both historically and today have had to respond to Christian Zionism at the intersection of religion and politics.
Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Acknowledgements 4
Timeline of Important Events 7
Introduction 8
I. A Nation’s Awakening: Palestinian Christians Confront Zionism, 1920s-1930s 39
II. Contesting Myths, Defending Origins: Palestinian American Encounters with Christian Zionism 1920s - 1930s 74
III. Artifact, Photographs, and Dress: Palestinian Decolonial Interpretation and Christian Zionism in America 111
IV. “God Never Promised You a Rose Garden”: Christian Zionism and Diaspora Palestinian Contextual Theology 152
V. “Advocacy as a Spiritual Journey”: Palestinian American Responses to Christian Zionism Today 190
Conclusion 235
Bibliography 248
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File download under embargo until 10 January 2026 | 2023-11-28 16:54:54 -0500 | File download under embargo until 10 January 2026 |
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