Not a single Christian' left in birthplace of Christ
Pastor Dale Morgan
Not a single Christian' left in birthplace of Christ*
Muslim intimidation could make 'land of Jesus' barren in 15 years
Posted: September 24, 2007
News From Israel
The once vibrant Christian communities of Bethlehem and Nazareth, with
roots in the "land of Jesus" going back to first century Israel, are
rapidly declining in the face of a systematic campaign of persecution
conducted by the same Muslim terrorists intent on driving the Jews into
the sea.
Beatings, sham legal proceedings, property seizures, dismissal and
replacement of elected Christian leaders, accusations of selling
property to Jews and intimidation by gunmen with links to the government
of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have so reduced
Christian populations in the cities of Jesus' birth and boyhood one
community leader predicts all Christians will be gone within 15 years.
In "Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land
Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!" author Aaron Klein
chronicles his meetings and interviews with leaders of terror groups and
Islamist organizations long accused of intimidation and violence against
Mideast Christians.
'No more Christians in Bethlehem'
For part of one chapter, Klein travels to Bethlehem to meet with the
city's Christians and with its terrorist leaders.
Bethlehem consisted of upwards of 80 percent Christians when Israel was
founded in 1948, but since the Palestinian Authority took over in 1995
the Christian population has declined to about 23 percent with a large
majority of Muslims. The 23 percent Christian statistic is considered
generous since it includes the satellite towns of Beit Sahour and Beit
Jala. Some estimates place Bethlehem's actual Christian population as
low as 12 percent, with hundreds of Christians emigrating per year.
In "Schmoozing," Klein first talks with Bethlehem-area Christian leaders
and residents, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, who said
they face an atmosphere of regular hostility and intimidation by
Muslims. They said Palestinian armed groups stir tension by holding
militant demonstrations and marches in the streets. They spokes of
instances in which Christian shopkeepers' stores were recently ransacked
and Christian homes attacked.
The Christian leaders said one of the most significant problems facing
Christians in Bethlehem is the rampant confiscation of land by Muslim gangs.
"There are many cases where Christians have their land stolen by the
[Muslim] mafia," said Samir Qumsiyeh, a Bethlehem Christian leader and
owner of the Beit Sahour-based private Al-Mahd (Nativity) TV station.
Qumsiyeh was one of the few Christians who spoke openly in "Schmoozing."
"It is a regular phenomenon in Bethlehem. They go to a poor Christian
person with a forged power of attorney document, then they say we have
papers proving you're living on our land. If you confront them, many
times the Christian is beaten. You can't do anything about it. The
Christian loses and he runs away," Qumsiyeh said.
One Christian Bethlehem resident told Klein her friend recently fled
Bethlehem after being accused by Muslims of selling property to Jews, a
crime punishable by death in some Palestinian cities. The resident said
a good deal of the intimidation comes from gunmen associated with
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization.
A February Jerusalem Post article cited the case of Faud and Georgette
Lama, Christian residents of Bethlehem who said their land was stolen by
local Muslims and when they tried to do something about it, Faud was
beaten by gunmen.
Klein confronted those gunmen, including Abu Philestine, the Bethlehem
chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's so-called "military
wing," and Eiman Abu Eita, Fatah's main representative in the Bethlehem
satellite town of Beit Sahour. Abu Eita previously served as Brigades
chief in Beit Sahour.
On the day of Klein's meeting with Abu Philestine, Raad Abiat, a senior
Brigades terrorists in Bethlehem, was killed by the Israeli Defense
Forces after he shot at troops during an anti-terror raid. Klein and
national radio host Rusty Humphries were slated to meet Abiat that day.
After Abiat was killed, several news media outlets reported Bethlehem's
Christians, in solidarity with the Brigades, closed down all schools,
shops and institutions and declared a day of mourning and of anger
toward Israel.
"Actually, what really happened was the Brigades and other Palestinian
law enforcers went up and down the streets and demanded all the
Christian stores, restaurants, and schools close. Intimidating
terrorists with guns ensured Christian institutions complied," writes
Klein in "Schmoozing."
Klein asked Bethlehem Brigades chief Abu Philestine about the practice
of enforcing Muslim closures.
"We have our rules in Bethlehem and one of them is shops must be closed
if one of our heroes is killed by the Zionists. We don't enforce
anything. All the people here are on our side," Abu Philestine claimed.
The terrorists claimed it was Israel that drove out Bethlehem's
Christians by building a "wall" in 2002 that "encircles" the city.
But Israel did not build a wall that encircles Bethlehem. It built a
fence only where the Bethlehem area interfaces with Jerusalem. A tiny
segment of the barrier facing a major Israeli roadway is a concrete
wall, which Israel says is meant to prevent gunmen from shooting at
Israeli motorists. The barrier was built after repeated terror attacks
launched from Bethlehem.
The vast majority of Bethlehem's Christian emigration occurred between
1995 and 2001, before Israel's barrier was constructed.
Israel controlled Bethlehem until 1995, when it signed the territory
over to the PA as part of the 1993 Oslo Accords. Reports of Christian
intimidation by Muslims immediately began to surface after the PA gained
control.
Then-PA President Yasser Arafat unilaterally fired the city's Christian
politicians and replaced them with Muslims. He appointed a Muslim
governor, Muhammed Rashad A-Jabar, and deposed of Bethlehem's city
council, which had nine Christians and two Muslims, reducing the number
of Christians councilors to a 50-50 split.
Arafat also converted a Greek Orthodox monastery next to the Church of
Nativity into his official Bethlehem residence. The Nativity church is
believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus.
"Most of those Christians who left Bethlehem gave the impression of
persecution just as an excuse to justify why they left Bethlehem," he said.
But Qumsiyeh and other Christian leaders said if current trends in
Bethlehem continue, there may be no Christians left in the city in 15
years. He said he appealed to U.S. Christian leaders to help initiate
housing projects and find ways to fortify and strengthen Bethlehem's
Christian population, but that little assistance was offered.
"The way things are, soon there will not be a single Christian living in
the land of Jesus," he said.
Muslims shout at Jesus' home: 'Islam will dominate the world'
In "Schmoozing," Klein bring readers to a large militant march by
Islamist groups down the main streets of Nazareth, highlighting for some
there the plight of Christians in the ancient city where Muslims have
become a majority and members of the dwindling Christian population say
they suffer regular intimidation.
Nazareth, considered one of the holiest cities for Christians, is
described in the New Testament as the childhood home of Jesus. It
contains multiple important shrines and churches, including the famous
Church of the Basilica of the Annunciation, the site at which many
Christians believe the Virgin Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel
and told that she had been selected as the mother of Jesus.
The Islamic Movement, the main Muslim political party in Nazareth, held
the January 2007 rally down Nazareth's main thoroughfare brandishing
their party's green flag. Young Muslim men in battle gear marched and
beat drums as a man on loudspeaker repeatedly exclaimed in Arabic,
"Allah is great."
Hundreds of activists strutted screaming Islamist epithets, including
"Islam is the only truth" and "Islam shall rule all."
In "Schmoozing" Klein interviews Christians who, like Bethlehem's
Christians, speak of attacks against Christian-owned shops and told
stories of Christian women being raped by Muslim men. They noted several
instances of interreligious violence and Muslim riots they said began
when Muslims attacked Christian worshipers. The Muslims claimed
Christians started the violence.
Also Muslims hold weekly loud prayer services outside the Church of the
Annunciation at a site local Muslims want to build a massive mosque many
local Christians charge is meant to overshadow the church.
Israeli security officials say the majority of anti-Christian violence
in Nazareth goes unreported because local Christians are too afraid to
report crimes.
One Christian resident said violence and intimidation tend to increase
around the time of local elections. The Islamic parties, once in the
minority, are now one seat away from dominating Nazareth's city council.
"During the last elections, Muslims on the streets were openly
threatening the Christians. They tried to stop some of the Christian
cars from voting," stated Saleem, a Christian Nazareth resident.
In October 2000, the Arab Christian mayor of Nazareth, Ramiz Jaraisy,
was reportedly beaten by members of the opposing Islamist party.
Nazareth's Christian population, at times the majority during the city's
long history, is now at about 37 percent, according to the Israeli
Bureau of Statistics, which notes a regular downward trend.
Regarding the alleged persecution, Klein confronts Nazareth's Muslim
leaders, including Ahmed Zohbi, a member of Nazareth's municipal council
and the leader of an umbrella group consisting of the city's Islamic
parties.
In the same chapter, Klein brings readers into the heart of the
underreported story of Christian persecution in the Middle East, talking
to the antagonists and victims of other conflict locations, including:
* Syria, where all religious groups must register with the government
and obtain government permits to hold any meeting other than
pre-approved worship services. The Syrian government reportedly has
attempted to control places of worship, monitoring sermons and services.
* where there have been reports of Christians being intimidated,
abducted, and held for ransom by Muslims, even under U.S. occupation.
Churches have been bombed, Christian businesses shut down. In 2005
alone, thirty thousand Christians fled Iraq, according to survey
information.
* The U.S.-backed Iraqi government's constitution establishes Islam as
the official state religion and allows for the appointment to Iraq's
highest court judges whose only expertise are in Islamic sharia law.
* Iran, where Islamic law is imposed and the government is accused of
regularly harassing Christian institutions; its "Ministry of Islamic
Guidance" is charged with monitoring all non-Muslim religions'
organizations. The printing of Christian literature, including church
newsletters, is strictly forbidden. Muslims who convert to Christianity
are subject to the death penalty.
* Egypt, where the Christian Copts of Egypt are regularly singled out
and targeted. Restrictions are imposed on rebuilding or repairing
churches. Egypt has effectively banned Christians from senior
government, military or educational positions; its state-run media spews
vicious anti-Christian and anti-Semitic propaganda.