Palestinian Christians ignored
By Sherri MuzherThe Jordan Times -- Thursday - July 3, 2003
“YOU MEAN, there are Palestinian Christians?” I am often asked, incredulously
and with a renewed sense of interest in the Middle East. I understand the
confusion. All Arabs are Muslims and all Muslims are Arabs — isn't that
the popular belief? So it's not surprising that many view the current Palestinian-Israeli
conflict as Muslims vs Jews. Unfortunately, there are those who strategically
exploit this lack of knowledge for political gain or to realise “prophecy,”
like Christian Conservative Gary Bauer who organised a letter of warning
to President George Bush. Twenty-two evangelical leaders stated in the
May 19 letter that any attempt to be “evenhanded” between Israel and the
Palestinians would be “morally reprehensible”. A few weeks ago, Rev. Pat
Robertson accused Bush of imperilling Israel with the roadmap, citing the
Bible “which speaks very harshly of those who divide the “Promised Land.”
How many potential Americans believe this? “There are 70 million of us”
Reverend Jerry Falwell explained to CBS' Bob Simon on June 8, 2003, in
a segment called “Zion's Christian Soldiers:. “If there's one thing that
brings us together quickly, it's whenever we begin to detect our government
becoming a little anti-Israel.” Falwell certainly proved his allegiance
to Israel when he promised Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in 1998 that he
and others would mobilise evangelical churches to oppose steps involving
territorial concessions to the Palestinians. Palestinian evangelical pastors
and theologians later responded to Falwell in a Feb. 1, 1998, letter: “Our
task of sharing the love of Christ in this region is becoming increasingly
difficult as our brothers and sisters in the West openly express sentiments
and endorse policies that produce greater injustice and aggression against
Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Ultimately, Falwell can't speak for
all evangelical Christians, but many believe the Bible promised the Jews
the entire Holy Land, including the occupied territories. And some evangelicals
also believe the Second Coming of Christ is contingent upon the full return
of Jews to Jerusalem. However, the fact that Palestinian Christians are
united with Muslims in the goal for liberation proves that the conflict
isn't so much religious as it is nationalistic and human. Palestinian Christians
have been among the most fervent players in the battle against Israeli
occupation. Consider spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi; the award-winning literary
critic Edward Said; Jerusalem Latin Patriarchate Michel Sabbah; Melkite
Reverend/Author Elias Chacour; and revolutionary, George Habash. The reality
is that 15 per cent of the world's Palestinians are Christian. Palestinian
Christians, also referred to as “the living stones” for having been witness
to Jesus and the Resurrection, are a vibrant community who has experienced
suffering no less than Palestinian Muslims. From the bloody Crusades to
the dispossession of Palestine's inhabitants in 1948, discrimination has
never known religion. In the latest uprising for freedom, Palestinian Christians
have not only been killed, but many have been maimed for life by Israeli
bullets. Christians have also suffered under the inhumane siege by not
being able to leave their towns, go to their jobs, seek medical care and
attend schools. Among the hardest hit by Israeli F-16 bombardment is the
Palestinian Christian city of Beit Jala. And few Palestinian Christians
will ever forget Palestinian altar boy Johnny Thalgieh who was killed by
Israeli gunfire in Manger Square in Bethlehem. Cars flattened indiscriminately
by Israeli Merkava tanks and blown-out windows, as well as confinement
of the populations, have left the Palestinian Christian population reeling
under the Israeli government. I can understand the PR value for Israelis
who try to exclude Palestinian Christians from the Middle East equation.
With the unfair vilification of Islam, who would Western public opinion
favour? But those who insist on painting this conflict in religious terms
are fooling themselves if they think my relatives desire freedom any less
than the Muslims. And while evangelical leaders who warned Bush not to
be “even-handed” in peace negotiations believe they are speeding up the
Second Coming of Christ, it was Christ who said: “Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the children of God.” Which is it? The writer
is a Palestinian-American Christian media analyst. She contributed this
article to The Jordan Times.
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