Akram Antaki
Michael Nagler
There is a
special bond between people dedicated to a cause they feel deep in their soul
must be true, especially when that cause seems to be in a distant future and
they themselves are in a small minority – even, sometimes, a minority that
causes others to fear them. Such a cause is nonviolence, and our mutual
dedication to nonviolence is what bound Akram Antaki and myself in a friendship
that, I dare to say, has not ended with Akram’s passing.
I deeply
admired my friend for his courage, for the courage and integrity that kept him
in a country torn by strife, putting out his desperately needed message of
nonviolence where it was most needed but sometimes least appreciated. I was
very glad, and grateful to him for translating my book, The Search for a
Nonviolent Future, and making it available not only in his native Syria but
throughout the Arab World. When that future finally comes about, people
everywhere will look back in deep appreciation for the role that he played.
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