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Melissa Mergner is a sophomore in the Communication Arts Program at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. She has written and directed several short documentaries, including "Legacy of Peace" about Japan's A-bomb victims, and "Woody Guthrie: Voice of the Common Man." Her films have won awards and have been shown at over 20 film festivals across the U.S. She is currently making a documentary about farm worker labor activist Baldemar Velasquez. She is also a member of Blair’s swim team. She enjoys drawing, sewing and cooking. She hopes to attend art school when she graduates from high school in 2009. Essay Abstract: "Peace for Halabeioji" discusses a shared dream by the writer and the writer's Korean grandfather or halabeioji that the use of force destroy and dominate and the use of the cult of personality to oppress and occupy as practiced in North Korea can be transformed by the lives and teachings of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad so that the two Koreas can move from being enemies to being in peaceful co-existence. On the value of the Children of Abraham project: My inspiration for a peace essay came from personal experience with my own family. I was inspired by my grandfather's story of how, in the midst of gunshots, he crossed the border from North Korea to South Korea in 1945, in order to get a higher education. He has never returned to his home country and those two nations are still in conflict. Last year I visited South Korea with him and we went to the DMZ, where I saw firsthand the barriers to peace that separate this once united homeland of my grandfather. I believe that leadership – based on the values of love, compassion and justice – is critical to bringing peace to divided countries like North and South Korea. Peace for Halabeoji The life and teachings of Muhammad - whose name means “highly praised” - has much to offer as a model for leadership in peace and promoting a peaceful co-existence. The Islamic principle of universal brotherhood and equality of mankind is found in the last farewell when the prophet Muhammad said: “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a White has no superiority over a Black nor a Black has any superiority over a White except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly” (Islam). Like Jesus, Muhammad taught that the poor would enter heaven before the rich so that when asked which act in Islam is the best, he replied, “to give food, and to salute everyone, whether you know them or not” (Zohery). In his lifetime, Muhammad was known as an honest and humble man whose mission was to serve, purify and educate all men in the laws of God. Rather than titles of power and status, he asked to be called true servant of God and His Messenger. Muhammad was also known as the prophet of peace as when the Qur’an announces the arrival of the prophet with these words: “O People of the book! Our Messenger has come to you, light has come to you from Allah and a book which guides to the truth, whereby Allah leads to ways of peace those who seek His pleasure” (5:17-18). Just as significantly, Islam means submission and in Arabic, the root word for Islam is peace. Muhammad taught that all Muslims must strive for peace and balance with God, with each other, and with the world. As the Qur’an states: “Where with Allah guideth all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety, and leadeth them out of darkness, by His will unto the light, guideth them to a path that is straight” (5:16). In addition, when Muslims meet, they say “Peace be upon you” as guided by the teachings of the Qur’an: “And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious and those who walk on the earth in humility and when the ignorant address them, they say ‘Peace’” (25:63). The prophet Moses, who was found in an ark in Egypt by the Pharaoh’s daughter, displayed key traits of compassion and humility which can be used as a model to help peacefully solve the issues in North Korea and various other distraught areas. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth” (Numbers 12:3). Through his leadership and strong connection to God, Moses lead the people out of Egypt and towards Canaan, the promised land. Despite many setbacks and complaints from the people about the lack of food and water, Moses reassured them and remained patient. As Moses was fasting for 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai after which God revealed the Torah, the people convinced Moses’ brother Aaron, who was serving as priest, to make a golden calf, which was one of the deadly sins of idolatry. Moses, though angry, forgave the people and convinced God to do the same. This shows Moses’s ability both to reassure a great number of people and to keep their faith in God. When the people were scared after they saw the Egyptians running after them, Moses reassured them, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14, 9-14). However, despite these reassurances, the Israelis continually lost faith in Moses and God. They disobeyed both Moses and God by creating the golden calf and, after Aaron and Miriam’s deaths, lost faith in Moses’s leadership abilities. When God would have struck the people down, Moses showed mercy and understanding, regardless of his own anger and frustration, and asked God to do the same. By accepting these imperfections which all people possess, including Moses himself, who stuttered (hence being called “slow of speech and of a slow tongue”), Moses possessed possibly the most important quality of a leader who models peace - compassion. Because Kim Jong-Il is inflexible and tries to change the mannerisms and customs of the North Korean people rather than accepting them, he creates his own greatest weakness - fear of his own people overthrowing him. Using the transforming power of love and forgiveness, Jesus serves as a model for a prophet of peace. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus modeled a heaven on Earth where leaders served the people without official titles, forgave those who did violence against them and showed how death could be transformed into life as symbolized by the cross. Throughout his life as a prophet, Jesus recognized the differences in every person, acknowledging them while at the same time pointing out that, in a way, everyone is connected. This idea is established when he says, “. . .There are varieties of service, but the same Lord and there are varieties of working but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one” (1 Corinthians 12: 5-6). Like Moses, Jesus possessed an enormous amount of forgiveness, mercy, and acceptance. Even before his crucifixion, Jesus forgave Judas’ betrayal and showed such mercy and forgiveness that he was willing to sacrifice his own life to help the others’s lives. In his teachings, Jesus told the people how the prostitutes, tax-collectors and sinners would be the first ones taken into Heaven. As he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5: 3). Jesus was also humble, coming into the world as a servant to mankind and to his father, God. He didn’t raise his voice at people and never wanted anything out of his deeds other than the benefit of mankind. He allowed himself to be tormented and mocked, persisting to save the people, as God’s true servant. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). However, Jesus took all of this in silence, accepting his fate. Another trait of Jesus’ model of peaceful leadership was the idea of the power of love. He told people to “love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5: 44). He promotes peace everywhere, saying “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matthew 5:39). Jesus tells the people, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5: 9), encouraging them to establish and promote peace throughout the land, and to love thy neighbor. In the case of North Korea, Jesus would teach us to reach out to them and never raise a hurting hand against them. It would be necessary to remain persistent in any attempts at peace with North Korea, and for us to accept them for who they are, not trying to change them in turn. A common visual symbol found through much of Asia is the Yin and Yang or Eum and Yang as it is known in Korea which stands for peace and harmony - the two states of being in Heaven (spiritual) and Earth (physical). According to the American Heritage High School Dictionary, peace is defined as: (1) the absence of war or other hostilities; (2) an agreement or a treaty to end hostilities; (3) harmonious relations; (4) public security and order; and (5) inner contentment, serenity (American, 1005). In order to work for peace, stability and security between North and South Korea, I would follow the servant leader model of Jesus, Moses and Muhammad to achieve the goal of peaceful co-existence. “[For] ... as the Qur’an suggests, God in his great wisdom may have given the divine message to different peoples (Yunis 10:47; Al Nabl 16:36) each in their own language and according to their own cultural norms to enable them to understand” (Firestone, xxi). Using the example of the three prophets, I would humbly issue a call to Jews, Christians and Muslims to join me in this effort to use compassion and justice to support peace between the two Koreas, because united, anything is possible. I would remind Christians of the Biblical verse that “Any servant leader does not serve alone. He is only one part of many that comprise the body. In order for him to function effectively, every other part of the body must do its work. Together they plant and water, and God makes it grow” (Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4). I would remind Muslims that “ in a hadith (2942) reported in Sunan Abu Dawad ... the Prophet said: “If Allah puts anyone in the position of authority over Muslims’ affairs and he secludes himself [from them], not fulfilling their needs, wants and poverty, Allah will keep Himself away from him, not fulfilling his need, want, and poverty” (Beekun). I would remind Jews that the legacy of Moses and Aaron “remains one of leadership through love, as we learn in Pirkei Avot: “Be as the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace; loving all humankind and drawing them closer to Torah” (UJC). Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are models of prophets of peace through their use of justice, compassion and humility in their lives and teaching. Each of them shows that an important part of our covenant with God is our treatment of those who are powerless. In their time it was the widow, the orphan and the stranger. This approach is in contrast to Kim Jong-Il’s leadership style which is coercive and manipulative of the North Korean people and other world leaders. Kim Jong-Il’s father, Kim Il-sung made himself a living God to the people of North Korea and his son is continuing the tradition of hatred, fear and distrust of outsiders by using the threat of nuclear weapons. During their lifetime, each of the prophets of peace faced tremendous obstacles of persuasion, competing values and cynicism. Yet each persisted in spreading their message of healing, love and each of us helping one another and our neighbors so that everyone understands they are eligible to win instead of only a few winning at the expense of others. It is from their example that I believe that the goal of transforming the thinking of the current generation of North Korean leaders from taking care of self to one of the example of servant leader who feels responsible for and is responsive to the suffering and needs of the North Korean people and their global neighbors is not only a worthy goal but is also doable in my lifetime. The achievement of peace and peaceful co-existence between North and South Korea, as well as between North Korea and the rest of the world, will take persistence, faith and unity of purpose by many people of many faith traditions, as exemplified by the three prophets of peace - Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. I look forward to a time of peace, when I can return with my grandfather to his village in North Korea and share mutual values of love and compassion with our relatives still living there. Bibliography Adair, John. The Leadership of Jesus: And Its Legacy Today. N.p.: Pilgrim Press, 2002. The American Heritage High School Dictionary. 1993. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. Armstrong, Karen. Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. N.p.: n.p., 1993. The Crescent and the Cross: Muslim and Christian Approaches to War and Peace. Ed. Harfiyah Abdel Haleem. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, Inc., n.d. Beekun, Rafik Issa. Effective Leadership Steps for Strategy Implementation in Islamic Origins. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://makkah.wordpress.com>. Firestone, Reuven. Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims. Hoboken, The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. 1611. Cleveland, Ohio: The World Publishing Company, 1962. Islam 101. 13 Mar. 1998. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.islam101.com/>. “Questions Linger Over North Korea: Peace Watch: United States Institute of Peace.” United north_korea.html>. Rich, Tracey. Judaism 101. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.jewfaq.org>. UJC: Mekor Chaim: Parshat Chukkat. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.ujc.org/ content_display.html?ArticleID=118725>. Zohery, Ali. "Prophet Muhammad's Patterns of Peaceful Communications." Prophet Muhammad. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.prophetmuhammadleadership.org/ prophet_muhammad%20pattern%20of%20peaceful%20communication.htm>. Works Cited Company, 1997. The Crescent and the Cross: Muslim and Christian Approaches to War and Peace. Ed. Harfiyah Abdel Haleem. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, Inc., n.d. Beekun, Rafik Issa. Effective Leadership Steps for Strategy Implementation in Islamic Origins. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://makkah.wordpress.com>. Firestone, Reuven. Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims. Hoboken, The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. 1611. Cleveland, Ohio: The World Publishing Company, 1962. Islam 101. 13 Mar. 1998. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.islam101.com/>. UJC: Mekor Chaim: Parshat Chukkat. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.ujc.org/ content_display.html?ArticleID=118725>. Zohery, Ali. "Prophet Muhammad's Patterns of Peaceful Communications." Prophet Muhammad. 15 Jan. 2007 <http://www.prophetmuhammadleadership.org/ prophet_muhammad%20pattern%20of%20peaceful%20communication.htm>.
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