Sami Awad – Christ Consciousness Under Occupation (N356)

Nov 10, 2025

Sami Awad, a Palestinian peace activist and director of Holy Land Trust, shares his profound journey through military occupation. He discusses Christ consciousness as a practice of compassion and resilience. Sami emphasizes the power of love over hatred, exploring how loving one's enemy can transform conflict. He addresses the role of steadfastness (sumud) in resistance, communal healing rituals, and the reclaiming of Jesus's messages beyond institutional Christianity. His insights challenge listeners to reflect on faith, privilege, and justice in turbulent times.

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INSIGHT

Calm Tension Of Occupation

Sami describes daily life in Bethlehem as a “calm tension” where normal routines continue under constant uncertainty.
This sustained unpredictability shapes communal life and decision-making under occupation.

ADVICE

Practice Steadfastness As Resistance

Prioritise steadfastness (sumud) as a nonviolent form of resistance: remain rooted in land, community and daily life.
Pair local steadfastness with global nonviolent solidarity and creative strategic action.

INSIGHT

Loving Enemy As Disciplined Resistance

Loving your enemy means refusing to be motivated by hatred, fear or revenge while still resisting injustice.
That love is a disciplined internal decision that shapes nonviolent action and transformation.

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Palestinian peace activist Sami Awad has lived his whole life under military occupation. He’s witnessed violence, loss, and deep injustice. Yet rather than turning towards hatred or certainty, he’s journeyed into a spirituality rooted in compassion, healing, and what he calls Christ consciousness — a way of seeing that refuses separation and fear.

In this conversation, Sami reflects on what it means to love your enemy amid war, to resist without hatred, and to awaken to the divine even in the midst of suffering. He speaks about his rejection of institutional Christianity, his lifelong commitment to nonviolence, and how ritual, grief, and steadfastness have become his practices of hope.

Following the interview, Tim and Anna reflect on how Sami’s experience of faith under occupation challenges their own journeys. They discuss privilege, embodiment, and what it means to find Jesus beyond the institution. Together they explore sumud — steadfastness — as a contemplative form of resistance, and how love, rather than fear, can become the organising principle of faith.

Interview starts at 17m 39s

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