Muslim cleric from Edison, New Jersey works for peace in Middle East

Salam/Peace:

EDISON —Township resident Dawud Ahmad Assad has made his life's goal the possibility of achieving peace in the Middle East.

The 77-year-old Islamic cleric, who emigrated to the United States from Palestine when he was 20 years old, has made nine trips to Jerusalem in the past two and a half years as a peace activist.

"I'm optimistic. We have lived peacefully with Jews before and we can live again," he said.

He returned on Dec. 29 from his latest bridge-building mission to the Holy Land

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"We all are one family under God. We came from the same seed, from Adam and Eve," Assad said.

He added that he is disappointed when he sees what's going on in Gaza these days.

"If there's no justice, there will be no peace. We need a just broker," he said of the ongoing conflict between Jews and Muslims in Palestine.

He was quick to add that it's not all negative, and that there is a lot of positive action and peace initiatives by peace organizations around the world.

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