From Israel
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday railed against what he termed 60 years of "deep-seated discrimination" against Arab Israelis [meaning Israeli-Christians and Israeli-Muslims].
"For sixty years there has been discrimination against Arabs in Israel. This discrimination is deep-seated and intolerable," Olmert said while addressing a meeting of the Knesset committee that is investigating the lack of integration of Arab citizens in public service.
Jerusalem Post Email Edition November 13, 2008
From Palestine:
"Christians are being persecuted not only in Iraq, but in most Arab countries, regardless of their numbers there. They are subjected to every possible kind of discrimination, as well as expulsion.
.. . .
"Today, this problem is also rampant in Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, and Palestine - and while the situation may be slightly different in Palestine, the trend is the same.
"Let us be honest with ourselves and courageously say out loud that Palestinian Christians are taking many severe blows, yet are suffering in silence so as not to attract attention. I do not refer here to the suffering caused by the occupation... but to actions of the past 20 years . . . involving the confiscation of Christian property, especially in Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Al-Birah.
. . .
Furthermore, there has been an attempt to marginalize Christian culture in Palestine, even though it is rich and deeply rooted [there]. This began with [accusations] of unbelief [against Christians] - a move that ultimately harmed Palestinian society as a whole...
"Despite all the injustices [against the Christians], no one has seen or heard of any constructive action to curb it and to [defend] the Christians' rights - whether by the elites, by any of the three branches [of the Palestine government] (executive, legislative, and judiciary), by non-government organizations, or even by the political factions themselves
Columnist Abd Al-Nasser Al-Najjar, Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam, translated by MEMRI, www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP211208
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
United We Stay, Divided We Leave
Christians flee from the Holy Land for many reasons . . . including Christian on Christian infighting. Violence among monks again recently broke out at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the church in the heart of Jerusalem's old city which marks the place of Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection. As such, it is arguably Christianity's holiest site.
The fight broke out during an annual Armenian Orthodox procession commemorating the fourth-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus. It was sparked by the Greek Orthodox demand to post a monk inside the ancient structure built over the site of Jesus' tomb. When the Armenian Orthodox refused to admit the Greek Orthodox monk, more Greek monks blocked their path, and the brawl began. Israeli police rushed in to separate the fighting monks.
In the past monks and friars have started throwing punches over whose right it is to clean which step. The smallest slight can end in violence. For example in 2004, a door to the Roman Catholic chapel was left open during a Greek Orthodox ceremony. This was perceived by the Greeks to be a sign of disrespect, and another fight broke out which again had to be broken up by Israeli police. Another time, six years agao, when a monk moved a chair out of the sunshine into a shadier area during a heat-wave, his action was seen as an attempted land-grab. Again a fight broke out that left several monks needing hospital treatment.
Christians all have a stake in stopping this internecine warfare and uniting in addressing the issues that are driving Christians from the Holy Land. And add a comment here (or contact United Christian Communities at info@UnitedChristianCommunities.org ) if you have any cooments or any ideas about how we can do this. Letter-writing campaigns? Visits to the monks when we visit the Holy Land to let them know they must find other ways to settle their disputes? Grass roots activities can unite us.
The fight broke out during an annual Armenian Orthodox procession commemorating the fourth-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus. It was sparked by the Greek Orthodox demand to post a monk inside the ancient structure built over the site of Jesus' tomb. When the Armenian Orthodox refused to admit the Greek Orthodox monk, more Greek monks blocked their path, and the brawl began. Israeli police rushed in to separate the fighting monks.
In the past monks and friars have started throwing punches over whose right it is to clean which step. The smallest slight can end in violence. For example in 2004, a door to the Roman Catholic chapel was left open during a Greek Orthodox ceremony. This was perceived by the Greeks to be a sign of disrespect, and another fight broke out which again had to be broken up by Israeli police. Another time, six years agao, when a monk moved a chair out of the sunshine into a shadier area during a heat-wave, his action was seen as an attempted land-grab. Again a fight broke out that left several monks needing hospital treatment.
Christians all have a stake in stopping this internecine warfare and uniting in addressing the issues that are driving Christians from the Holy Land. And add a comment here (or contact United Christian Communities at info@UnitedChristianCommunities.org ) if you have any cooments or any ideas about how we can do this. Letter-writing campaigns? Visits to the monks when we visit the Holy Land to let them know they must find other ways to settle their disputes? Grass roots activities can unite us.
Christians Flee the Holy Land
Less than 60 years ago 60 % of the population of Nazareth was Christian. Today that number is 35%.
Less than 60 years ago 85% of the population of Bethlehem was Christian. Today that number is 12%
The situation is similar throughout the Holy Land. Conflict, lack of economic opportunities and the pull of the West have been driving a steady hemorrhaging of Christians from the Holy Land for several decades, while low birth rates ensure that those who stay live as ever-shrinking minorities.
Some now speak of seeing the Holy Land devoid of Christians within just a few generations. This of concern for Christians of all denominations and for non-Christians also.
United Christian Communities is a United States not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping to halt the flight of Christians from the Holy Land. We don’t focus on who is to blame. We focus on what is to be done.
This blog will discuss this problem in detail and keep you informed about the situation of the Christian communities in the Holy Land.
To find out more about us, you can visit www.UnitedChristianCommunities.org on the web.
Less than 60 years ago 85% of the population of Bethlehem was Christian. Today that number is 12%
The situation is similar throughout the Holy Land. Conflict, lack of economic opportunities and the pull of the West have been driving a steady hemorrhaging of Christians from the Holy Land for several decades, while low birth rates ensure that those who stay live as ever-shrinking minorities.
Some now speak of seeing the Holy Land devoid of Christians within just a few generations. This of concern for Christians of all denominations and for non-Christians also.
United Christian Communities is a United States not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping to halt the flight of Christians from the Holy Land. We don’t focus on who is to blame. We focus on what is to be done.
This blog will discuss this problem in detail and keep you informed about the situation of the Christian communities in the Holy Land.
To find out more about us, you can visit www.UnitedChristianCommunities.org on the web.
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