An Interview with Afif Kanafani
By Janine C. Hagan and Afif Kanafani
Afif Kanafani was born in Haifa, Palestine, and in 1948 became a refugee in Lebanon, where he finished his high school education. Afif emigrated to the U.S., earned degrees in aerospace engineering and applied mathematics from University of Michigan, then joined Boeing as an engineer. He was a member of the 747 design team, and later a member of the team which designed the oxygen circulating system for the Apollo project. From 1970 to 1980 Afif worked in the Middle East and Africa helping third world countries develop their industrial sectors. Along the way, Afif earned several additional diplomas in a variety of technologies, executive management and leadership, strategic planning, project management and organizational development.

In 1980, he formed his own company in technology transfer to developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East and was advisor to several countries and institutions in strategic planning and technology transfer.

In March 2002 Afif joined the team which pioneered federalization of airport security. Today, he continues in the field of aviation security, helping to make air travel safe. Afif and his wife, Carla, have a 10 year old daughter, Miznah, whom Afif claims is the “center of their universe.”

Janine: Afif, we first met about 5 years ago at a leadership development gathering. Now, after we just had our pre-interview meeting, I am more convinced than ever of a spiritual connectedness and purpose that binds us all closer than “life on the surface.”

Because of the gift of that experience, I want to begin in the middle of your story. I would like for you to start at what was obvious to me, a point of great energy and excitement. Will you tell us about your work in security and the story of how your job is so perfect for your gifts, skills and experience? (1) Why does this position carry so much personal meaning for you in your life and your spiritual perspective? (2) How did you become involved in the profession of security? (3) Please share with us your experience of discovering your present position and where that has taken you in terms of connecting everything.

Afif: The September 11 attack had a profound impact on my life, as it did on many others. In my case, however, I took it as a personal affront to my culture, heritage and ancestry. The perpetrators of that heinous act came from the same world that I was born in, shared my culture, religion, language, and heritage. Yet they chose to depart from that honorable background to take on a mission of destroying everything that our advanced civilization has achieved and throw us back 2000 years. I refused to accept this and came out of semi-retirement in order to participate in reversing this wave of international terrorism.

In March 2002, there seemed to be a guiding hand which led me to my engagement with my present employer. The details of my work in security today are not the profound message here; instead, it is the opportunity for me to offer my skills, experience, knowledge, efforts, and dedication in whatever way I can to thwart the next attempt on our freedom and security here and anywhere else in the world. I will not allow a great religion like Islam to be used as camouflage by a group of vicious individuals bent on changing the way we live today.

Janine: Now let us return to the beginning of your journey. Would you please share something with us about your background; your life, studies/work, faith, and spiritual experiences? Where have those experiences taken you, in terms of your faith tradition or spirituality-related-to-life?

Afif: In my formative years, I was a very angry young man. Having lost my country and my father to what is now Israel, growing up as a refugee after being born in affluence introduced me to the harsh side of life. I struggled in it, hated it, and vowed to get out of it. Not only did I set a very ambitious goal for myself, but I went after it undeterred by my dire circumstances in Lebanon. I was bent on coming to America, going to one of the best universities, acquiring an aerospace engineering degree, and participating in sending the first man to the moon!

When I attained that goal, it started to dawn on me that there is a Power which charts our course in life, a Power (call it God), which does things not always in a way which we can understand, but, which we must accept. Through my adulthood years, I was convinced that if we lead our lives towards the Good, then we will be rewarded, sooner or later. The Creator will see to it. From this platform, I find myself at peace in any house of worship. I accept the teachings of all religions which advocate goodness, love and commitment to preserving what God created, and reject all teachings of hate, exclusion, doom, and fear. God created the living so they may enjoy life. And the only way we can do this is by being good.

Janine: I learned years ago how important your family is to you. Will you tell us something about them and how you manage to share spiritual/faith expression with them? From that viewpoint, what is your experience and understanding of “Sabbath?”

Afif: Family is the catalyst that God threw into the mix of “life” so we may attain the “Good”. Family is His blessing on us. It’s a mandate for us to respond to the Creator’s gift of “life”. Children are the lifeline of this eternal “Good” life; therefore our unwavering commitment to our children is non-negotiable! This is what I believe. And this is what defines my approach to the “Sabbath”. My Sabbath is Every Day. I “worship” every day. Not in the convention of predominant religions, but in my own way by affirming my commitment to family, my appreciation of God’s creation, and my dedication to preserve our moral values. I do that in a church, a mosque, a temple, on top of a mountain watching a sunset, in my living room listening to a Beethoven sonata and much more. Believe me, it works.

Janine: Where do you find the greatest meaning for your life, faith, and purpose?

Afif: By observing and appreciating the diversity of God’s creation. It’s mind-boggling!

Janine: What is the most important “treasure/thought” that you, Afif Kanafani, would like to leave with our readers?

Afif: Every day, look at one thing, look very carefully and with full attention, and try to see how beautiful it is, how miraculous it was to create.

Editor’s Note: Afif speaks from a lifetime of experience from many different cultural situations and understandings. I am reminded of that expression “God is Good” that is shared even between strangers. It is an expression that delights me each time that I hear and say it. Such sharing shapes and re-shapes our image of God so that God becomes new for us each time in the process.

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