Remembering the Karak Castle Rebuild
It has been over a year since Rebuild for Peace students organized the Karak Castle Rebuild, but some stories are meant to be shared again and again.
This is the story of a community that came together to send a message of peace to the world. đïžđ
After the ISIS attack on the Karak Castle, our students organized a massive gathering that had been unseen in the community for many years. What had been an attack based on fear and hate, with the aim of inflicting damage to a tourist site and killing Christians and other minorities, ended with a waving banner that read "In the Wake of Violent Conflict We Will Rebuild for Peace". Community members volunteered their skills and students held a commemorative assembly to honor those who had fallen.
Among those was an officer who charged the heavily fortified gate in order to make way for the other officers and save those locked inside. He gave his life for strangers. But it was for something greater than him; he was fighting for peace.
Another man, a Karaki Muslim, laid down his life for a Canadian woman- sacrificing himself for "his sister". Christians canceled Christmas to give out Arabic coffee to those in the Muslim community whose family members had been taken in the attack.
This event was impactful for more than just our students. Through acts of service, everyone sharing their talents, the community was unified. For the first time in a long time everyone regarded each other as "brothers and sisters". đ€
