Pope to Arab Christians: Keep the Faith
This was their moment. For native Christians in the Holy Land -- that small, beleaguered Arab community whose ancestors, on this very soil, were among the first to follow Jesus of Nazareth -- the visit of Pope Benedict XVI was nothing less than a godsend.
Finally, here was a western Christian who understood their predicament.
Like envoys of a forgotten world, Arab Christians embody the fierce and hunted spirit of the early Church. They worship in simple, ancient churches, some dating to the fourth and fifth centuries, and they preserve, in their rituals and liturgy, the earliest expressions of what it means to be a Christian. Relatively wealthy, well educated, and politically moderate, they are the people Middle Eastern societies can least afford to lose. Yet today they are abandoning their homelands as never before, exhausted by political turmoil, robbed of hope and opportunity, and alarmed by the rise in Islamist violence in places like Iraq and Egypt, where they make a convenient target for those who hate the West.
In the Holy Land, caught in the crossfire between Israel and all Palestinians, including Christians, their numbers have plummeted from perhaps 25 percent of the population a century ago to single digits today. Having covered these brave, close-knit communities for decades, most recently for this month's National Geographic, I consider their exit a tragic loss, and so does Pope Benedict XVI, who picked his way through the political minefields of Jordan, Israel, and Palestine this week to deliver a message of hope to Arab Christians: Keep the faith.
It's important for all of us that they do. In a land of bitter conflict, Arab Christians have always been the go-betweens, the human bridge between the Islamic world and the Christian West. Their exodus now would leave a huge void -- not only in the ancient stone churches where they worship, but also in the Middle East's depleted reservoir of hope that so urgently needs replenishing.
If the Pope's vision of Middle East peace were to be realized -- Muslims and Christians living together in a just, viable, prosperous Palestinian state at peace with Israel -- many of the reasons Arab Christians leave would disappear. But in the meantime, just having their 2,000-year history celebrated by the world's most prominent Christian is an answered prayer. According to my Palestinian friend Mark, from Bethlehem, most tourists to the Holy Land have never even heard of Arab Christians. "They think Christianity was invented in Italy or something. I had one lady ask me, 'What does your family think about you being a Christian? I suppose they must have been very upset!'"
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The question to be pondered is not why are Arab Christians leaving but why does anyone stay in this god-forsaken, perennially war-torn load of dust anyway? Whatever it was in ancient times past that made it a "holy land," has long been contaminated by centuries of human evil. If God is truly everywhere, then there is no reason to slaughter each other over this particular patch of sand.
we brought the tanks, the troops, the military bases, the chem weapons and the nuke weapons, we have toppled goivernments, installed new ones, and decimated iraq and raped the women.
god is everywhere, he is just crying. and if you might want to take some issue with the west who has pretty much been responsible for all this grief and murder.
There is plenty of blame to go around to all parties. No one can claim innocence here.
See Jan McGirk's Profile
Well said, Mr. Belt.
It's such a vital community. I just came back from Gaza, where 100 of the faithful managed to get a permit from the Israelis to enter the West Bank. The rest of the Gaza Christians were unable to come up to Bethlehem and greet the pope.
The timing of the trip was peculiarly undiplomatic - finishing up on Nakba Day...the Catastrophe. It was more political than spiritual. The ugly separation wall loomed in the background as "Baba" read his appeal to the Palestinian youth at a refugee camp and urged them to refrain from violence. All Palestinians, Christians or Muslims, deserve a better future. The Arab Christians don't tend to have big clan backing, and they are in the minority. Still, everyone is hemmed in by restrictions of the conflict. Through the week-long pilgrimage with the pontiff, ( see http://isr
The Muslim Middle East is a very intolerant place. In Egypt, Christians face violence from the Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, they have pushed for legislation restricting the rights of their Christian citizens. In Pakistan, Churches are bombed and vandalized. Christians who found themselves being ruled by the Palestinians after Israel withdrew from sections of the West Bank were threatened. In fact, the number of Christians living in the Palestinian areas has dwindled over the last ten years. Many Christians living in East Jerusalem are very fearful that Israel may let the Palestinians gain control there.
Christians in Europe have done even worse to Jews for 1500 years.
At the time we fought a Civil War and freed our slaves, the Pope forced Roman Jews to live in a walled ghetto.
Furthermore, the reason why it Palestine became a refuge for Jews fleeing Europe is because Muslim culture is actually incredibly tolerant. Islamic doctrine commands that Muslims respect other "people of the book" -- Jews and Christians, namely. You took advantage of Arab hospitality when you committed the Nakba.
Israel is a very intolerant place, much worse than the entire Middle East, the occupation is not only a violent structure but is also an intolerant system placed on the Palestinians for being who they are.
Propelling this tired propaganda that Israel is in a tough neighborhood while demonizing the surrounding countries, will not work.
When is the last time you've seen an Israeli woman buried up to her neck in sand and being stoned to death? An Israeli man sentenced to death for promoting atheism? An Israeli charged with treewason or spying for simply speaking about the Palestinian cause or writing a book that criticizes the government or a religious leader?
The displacement of Palestinians resulting from the establishment of Israel is a horrendous and serious problem, but pretending Israel is more intolerant than Arab theocracies is nonsense.
More pro-settler frothing and nonsense.
Its is Israeli fundamentalists driving people from Jerusalem. Even secular Israelis are finding it more difficult to live there.
Palestinians arent driving people from East Jerusalem, unless theyve suddenly started driving bulldozers for the IDF.
And how many Christian churches have Jewish settlers vandalized? How many churches as the Israeli government demolished to make way for those settlers? Nobody's buying your lies. There are vibrant Christian communities in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, all over the Middle East. Used to be in Iraq, until American Christians came on false intel partly supplied by the Israelis to "liberate" them.
You think you can keep playing all sides off the other with your cynical propaganda and lies, neocon hack?
Indeed, and this is what it looks like, and sounds like down on the ground...
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no there not. some are. syria is not, iraq wasnt, and iran has the largest population of jews outside of israel. (and you guys wanna bomb them! never again my arse) jordan is very tolerant and so is lebanon. you spread misinformation to ratched up hate. shame on you....
With the radical anti-sufic impulse seen in Wahhbism as Saudia Arabia's chief and most subversive export along with the toxic Qutbism of Osama bin Laden we have now come to a turning point in Islam: the leading Sufic pillar has now addressed alonmg with his book about the End which presages the Last Judgement. In his new book "The Approach of Armageddon" our friend of the West Shaykh Muhammed Hisham Kabbani called upon those who can make a difference in stopping the Nation of the Shia as Khomeinist Iran ((as "Magog" with the backing of the Shia of Iraq or "Gog" in the Biblical sense )) in it's headlong rush to destruction against our other friend pf the West: the nation of the regathered and prophetic Israel; which now stands as a wall and bulwark of Jihad drunken Islam.
It is of little help in seeking the help of president Ahmadinejad of Iran; he is obviously seeking to keep his position by feeding the fires of hatred and vengeance as the demagogue he is; yet it is this one name which casts the greatest light on what his role is in fulfilling the prophecy of Armageddon in all it's self-fulfilled glory: as that of it's architecht: the "Misha Ad-Dajjal"; the Judas of Islam we know of as the Antichrist of the Bible: Osama bin Laden and his use of the Qur'an against the Western Nations; which are all christian nations culturally; if not politically.
It's commendable that the Pope is trying to bring peace to this violent part of the world, but before him were men who didn't wear a relegious man's robes who also tried . They could very well had brought peace to this region but for the interference from the US state department.
Men like Anwar Sadat and the Shah of Iran sought peace for the middle east but their biggest mistake was in placing their trust in back stabbers like Henry Kissinger, Ambassador William Sullivan and General Robert Huyser.
The Shah of Iran was done in by Jimmy Carter and his support for Khomeini.
The Shah of Iran was a Western backed dictator who was brutal and oppressive. Painting him as a peace maker is absurd and just goes to show what lengths the pro-Israeli lobby is willing to contort to get their way (See also: Saddam Hussein's yellow cake; "mobile bioweapons labs"; Colin Powell's slideshow at the UN)
The Shah? He was a terrible dictator that robbed Iran and its people. He was placed there as a puppet of the west to do the bidding of Washington and London. To keep the oil flowing and the Ruskies out. His reign (with the inadvertent help of Washington) set the stage for extremist to take over.
The Shah was a dictator, but next to Arafat, Assad, Khadafi, and others he was postively a saint.
We supported and continue to support the displacement of every Palestinians.
Everyone should have a slightly larger timespan, this is not something that happened 5 or 6 years, but 61 years ago.
Supersam:
Surely everyone must return to the land of their ancestors. Arabs don't belong in Europe or the Americas, no?
And you, of course, are leaving the Untied States (assuming that is where you live) and returning to the land of your forefathers.
I'm sorry ma'am, could you clarify?
If your trying to justify the displacement of one people with the displacement of many people throughout history, two wrongs certainly don't make a right in this case. Especially after the implementation of international law and human rights which have been violated for 60 years.
When in Egypt the Jews adopted beliefs in the many deities of the Egyptians, along with the God of their fathers. When the bad pharaoh died they prayed for a better pharaoh. But the next Pharaoh was even more harsh so they learned not to trust in Man or the deities so created by Man.
As the Pharaoh became more cruel, they were forced to turn at last to the God of their fathers. And in finally praying to Him, their prayers were answered.
Palestinians believe their leaders will rescue them, and each leader is worse than the last Arafat the corrupt followed by Hamas the cruel, sustained by its overpowering hatred of another of God's creations - the Jews. This hatred is Amalak - imbedding itself in humans like cancer to hate beyond life itself. To hate the Jews the way Hamas hates means that death of self is allowed when attempting destruction of the Jew. Hitler had it too, but that's another story.
The pity and anger for the people of Palestine should be directed to Hamas who uses their suffering to inflict what they can only pray is a death blow to their ancient enemy Israel, home of the Jew.
God listens to the prayers of those who wish to be delivered from this pain once the idols have been removed and those in pain who can then pray to the God of their fathers.
Same old, same old Islamophobic masquerade with the ancient Egyptians thrown in (anachroni
so your anti all non monothestic relgions..
Wow! I just thought of a really unique way of dealing with this problem--make that every problem of a religious nature.
Why not--and this is not going to go over big with people confined to a religious box--abandon religion? Why not admit in this, the 21st Century, that there are no more ghosts, spooks, oracles, angels, fairies, or deities of any kind? Why not accept the the notion that one doesn't need to be cajoled or forced to act in a certain way by a god or one of his representatives?
Why not--and, again, this is going to take some mental discipline to accomplish--see men running around in skirts with little red shoes, wearing gold-encrusted helmets, figuratively eating the flesh and drinking the blood of their Bronze Age idol as ridiculous fools, something out of a Monte Python skit?
To hurry along the process, why not start to TAX religious institutions and foreclose upon their property if they refuse to pay their fair share for the comforts civilization afford us all?
This is going to take some really out-of-the
Amen!
Imagine God doesn't exist and all our problems go away? If only it was that simple.
Tax religion for civilization? Religion is the origin of that civilization. Seems like we ought to be thanking them.
"Religion is the origin of that civilization"
Farming is the origin of that civilizati
Religion is the "orgin of that civilization"? Surely you jest.
how mean spirited is hyjanks post? you miss the point of rite and ritual and why they are needed for some people and they have every right to do so. if you don want it. fine dont practice a reilgion but your so inorant . dieties arent real anyway! they are reflections of ones inner self. learn before you make such a grand fool of yourself.
To expexct christians to be gobetweens for waring religions, is like divorceing parents to use their children as messengers in their ongoing divorce wars. The children always end up damaged and no one ever wins the war.
"A 12-year old Palestinian girl was shot with .22 calibre live ammunition in Ni'lin by Israeli forces on Friday afternoon, sources told Ma'an.
The girl, Summer Amira, was shot by Israeli forces as she was standing near the window of her home. Amira was shot in her lower arm, near her elbow, around 4:30pm and was taken to a hospital in Ramallah about 15 minutes afterward"
That may be why people are leaving, if their kids can be shot by thugs anytime.
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This is their reality, that innocent children can be innocent bystanders and get shot, i repeat SHOT.
This is the threat they have to face on a daily basis, its not the islamist insurgency of Iraq Mr. Belt. Its the occupation.
So now it is the fault of the Muslims that Christians in Palestine and Iraq are leaving the Middle East. Hmm. It seems to me that no one has the guts in the US to blame Israel for anything. Not even the writers of this fine magazine called National Geographic
Just what do Israel and Jews have to do with Christians in Iraq?
Duh.. the US fights wars in the Middle East on behalf of Israel. I do not blame the Jews at all.
they are polerizing everything , due to their militant stance, arabs, christian and mulsim are terrified of them. all countries of the 22 arab states are afraid of israel. now you must make the distinction between jews and the government of israel. there is a difference, amny are horribly upset with their governments tactics. people are people...
Lame article. You'd think a man that has traveled so extensively would have the wherewithal to admit organized religion is the cancer of humanity. Superstitious loons are the same by any other name. Having Christians in the Middle East does nothing to improve the situation whatsoever.
Absolutely correct...
It's always bemused me that evangelicals care more about ushering in the Second Coming than helping their coreligionists, whom so inconveniently happen to be Palestinian.
Also, when it comes to other religious minorities threatened by Islamists, I hear nary a whimper.
"They worship in simple, ancient churches, some dating to the fourth and fifth centuries"
Wanna know why that is? I know the AUTHOR is likely familiar with the "Pact of Omar" but his readers probably aren't. Let me enlighten some of you:
Christians in most areas ruled by Muslims aren't even allowed to FIX their old churches without permission, which is rarely forthcoming. No steeples are permitted. No church bells. Even SIGNS are usually considered "too disruptive
I heard many a church bell ring in the country of Lebanon.
I live in Jenin, Palestine and there is an active group of Christians living here. There are church bells every week and there is no sense of hostility or a hint of persecution towards them. Where in the world is this "most areas ruled by Muslims" are speaking of? It surely is not in Occupied Palestine. All Palestinians are not granted a drop of real freedom because of an occupation that has been going on for 61 years. The lack of freedom here has nothing to do with Islamists putting pressure on Christians. It is the Zionists who are turning the Holy Land into an absolute hell.
"In a land of bitter conflict, Arab Christians have always been the go-betweens, the human bridge between the Islamic world and the Christian West."
Gee that sounds nice and all, but it simply isn't true. Certainly, Arab Christians have SUFFERED at the hands of the Muslim majorities that engulf them. They have heard concerns expressed on their BEHALF by Christians and other peoples in the West. But it's absurd to suggest they have played any role whatsoever as "intermediary" or "go-betwee
Well, that is except for the Lebanese Front under Gemayel...
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