Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A Dose of Reality From a Palestinian Christian

Palestinian believers light candles in the Church of Nativity, Palestinian town of Bethlehem

A Palestinian Christian Response to Michael Oren

By Faysal Hijazeen

As the parish priest of Ramallah, an op-ed by Israel's envoy to the US gave me pause for thought. Michael Oren's article spoke volumes of Israel's unending misrepresentation of Palestinian daily life.

The presence of our 13 Latin Patriarchate Schools throughout the West Bank and Gaza, for over 150 years, is a living witness to the coexistence of Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

We have never faced in our schools or society the supposed persecution of Christians by Muslims to which Mr Oren referred in "Israel and the Plight of Mideast Christians," published Friday in the Wall Street Journal.

Contrary to Oren’s statements, the persecution of Christians here is caused mainly by the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory. This occupation humiliates us, destroys our economy, causes demographic changes and deprives millions of the freedom of movement and their right to decent lives, in addition to the confiscation of land.

These are the main ways Christians are persecuted in Palestine.

As anyone with eyes can see, the wall that Israel has imposed has negatively affected the lives of Palestinians and has confiscated a large amount of what is left of Palestinian land.

A Palestinian Christian prays at a church decorated for Christmas in the West Bank city of Ramallah

Oren claims that Israel "allows holiday access to Jerusalem's churches to Christians from both the West Bank and Gaza." In reality, the countless fixed and flying checkpoints have turned our lives into hell.

Israeli obstacles and practices do not differentiate between Muslims and Christians, and are imposed over a whole nation. The bullets that fired against Palestinians do not differentiate between Christians and Muslims.

But it is these imposed Israeli obstacles which strengthen the ties between Christians and Muslims. Christian students share the same classrooms with Muslim students and all school activities involve both religions.

For example last week at one of our schools, the al-Ahliyya College in Ramallah, we held a concert with peace songs, and 180 pupils of both faiths joined in the event.

The oppression of Christian communities is indeed "an injustice of historic magnitude."

Israel could begin righting this wrong by setting an example: Offer freedom to the Christian communities under its occupation before criticizing Muslim oppression in other countries in the Middle East.

No such oppression exists in Palestine.

Nuns wait for the arrival of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah during Christmas celebrations on Manger square outside the Church of Nativity in the west Bank town of Bethlehem

The author is the director-general of the Latin Patriarchate Schools in Palestine and the parish priest of Ramallah.

From Ma'an News Agency

Pictures from Occupied Palestine, Christians in Palestine - in Pictures

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†IC XC†

†NI KA†

2 comments:

William WhiteMarch 14, 2012 at 11:20 PM
I Greatly appreciate the unity I hear in these pages.. the sharing of Christians and Muslims. I Recently am studying as I have had a conversion from Roman rite to Eastern ways..

God I dont think judges on your religion and beliefs but your adoration of the Son and The law set before us... We must share our ways with each other as one body of Christ... We in the us need desperately this tolerance of Muslims which is off the page with hatred way before 911... thank you again, and pray for our leaders.
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The Prodigal SonMarch 15, 2012 at 7:40 AM
I don't know about all that!

Muslims are not part of the Body of Christ. Muslims do not affirm the death and resurrection of Jesus... nor do they believe that He is God incarnate.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
- I John 4

We can agree to disagree at best. Palestine and other countries such as pre-Gulf wars Iraq and Syria show that Christians and Muslims have coexisted together (yet still apart) for centuries.

We most certainly have a common adversary in the Jews but other than that...
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We Believe…

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, Begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;

And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;

And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;

And we believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.

We look for the Resurrection of the dead,

And the Life of the world to come. Amen. †

Churchless Christianity?

"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle."

- II Thessalonians 2:9-15

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"But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;"

- II Thessalonians 3:3-7

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"These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

- I Timothy 3:14-15