Islam and Christianity: conflict?

[In memory of Shaden Abu Hijleh, mother and feminist Muslim activist who was murdered by the Israeli occupation army five years ago October 11, 2002 (see http://www.remembershaden.org/ ) we will protest today the appearance of Alan Dershowitz at Yale University; this is a man who promotes conflicts between religions, who called Israel's human rights record "generally superb", and a man who supported assassinations, torture, and other war crimes. Happy Eid. ]

In the past week and as we approach the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting and prayers in the Islamic tradition, I received a few emails asking me as a Palestinian Christian about Muslim-Christian relations, about the killing of the one Christian evangelist in Gaza and other questions along the same lines. I wanted to take this opportunity to address some of these issues and took the time to compile links and resources for background facts on these important issues.

First, in good news, we commend the president of St. Thomas University in reversing his decision and inviting Bishop Desmond Tutu to speak (Israel apologists lost this round). Bishop Tutu is a Nobel Peace Laureate who suffered for his work against South African apartheid now speaks eloquently, with humility and passion, on Israeli apartheid. Thanks to many people (including members of Jewish Voice for Peace) for mobilizing in writing letters.

Second, I think every Christian and Muslim who is faithful to their religion should read this well-thought-out letter from Muslim scholars/leaders to heads of Christian Churches on the commonality of the two faiths including the two key commandments: loving God and loving your neighbor (wanting for your neighbor what you want for yourself). PDF File:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/11_10_07_letter.pdf

Third, it is important to recognize who are the people behind the propaganda campaign to create a Muslim-Christian division. Any cursory investigation would note that in 99% of the cases these are extremist racist Zionist Jews. Take for example the "Islamofascism Awareness Week" being peddled on University Campuses by arch racist David Horowitz. Even mainstream Zionists do not want to have anything to do with this character or people like him. And honest Jews reject the whole concept of divide and conquer/segregate and oppress since it cannot work and it is ultimately harmful to all Jews.  Many Jewish Zionist editors of mainstream papers are even unwilling to publish op-eds by such people as Horowitz, Pipes, Podhorz, and their coterie. The tiny non-Jewish Zionist minority of those who are promoting the Muslim-Christian divide, are those on the payroll of the extreme Zionists ( e.g. the nutty "Bridgitte Gabriel" who claims to be a Christian or the fake "ex-terrorist" "Walid Shoebat"). These few individuals are willing to say and do anything for money. So always look at the source of the information you are being told and who pays the salaries and who sponsors the events. While the stories and names of over 850 Palestinian Children (Christian and Muslim) killed by Israel are buried (and imagine if someone would take just one of these cases and claim it as evidence of "JewishFascism"), we are told that the regrettable killing of one Palestinian who happen to be Christian by unknown people is evidence of "IslamoFascism". Whose interests does that serve? Like all self-deluded war ,mongers of the past, the idea that they can divide and conquer for ever is very tempting. Problem is, we know that now power remains (watch the fate of the Roman, Ottoman, or Spanish Empires.

Fourth, we should take individual Christian claims of persecution by Muslims
seriously but never at face value.  To do our homework would require going 
and seeing things for ourselves and investigating those cases very carefully.   
There are human rights groups out there investigating human rights abuses on 
all fronts and we should read their reports 
(which document meticulously the Israeli occupation and colonization 
for atrocities against all Palestinians, Christians and Muslims).  
 More important we should listen to the vast majority of 
Palestinian Christians and their representatives.  

By educating ourselves, we can start to distinguish lies from the truth.
 I thus decided to compile relevant information from Christian sources 
 (Palestinian and non-Palestinian) for your use. 
 
FOUR concise and factual articles of history and overview of the current situation of 
Palestinian Christian communities from non-Palestinians  
(includes analysis of emigration, challenges etc etc.)
http://www.al-bushra.org/holyland/sabella.htm 
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/November_2005/0511064.html
 http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6369.shtml
http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/pubs/20020312ib.html 
 

A more detailed analysis is found in the highly recommended book "Dying in the Land of Promise: Palestine and Palestinian Christianity from Pentecost to 2000" by Donald E. Wagner

A short clip from the award-winning film 'Occupation 101: Voices of the Silenced Majority" This clip is about the Christian presence in Palestine under Israeli military rule. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RKCQ-wfpiE (For more info on this excellent documentary please visit http://www.occupation101.com )

Statements from leadership of Palestinian Christians (these are illustrative of what really concerns us Palestinian Christians):

- Statement of Christian Church Leaders in the Holy Land
http://www.eappi.org/eappiweb.nsf/list/ICAPPI%202.html
- A communiqué by the Christian National institutions
href=http://www.p-p-o.com/Eng/2002/1/WE4-1-2002-1.htm
- Statement Regarding the Separation Wall from The Patriarchs and Head of Churches in Jerusalem http://www.khsnsw.org/updates/2003/200308/statement_regarding_the_separati.htm
- 2002 call from heads of Christian Churches in the Holy Land http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/9-3-02jerus-call.html
- The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism
http://imeu.net/news/article003122.shtml

Palestinian Christian groups

Al-Bushra (the good tidings) Center of Bethlehem http://www.al-bushra.org
Center for Rapprochement Between People http://www.rapprochement.org
Annadwa (International Center of Bethlehem) http://www.annadwa.org
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme http://www.eappi.org/
Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem http://Jerusalem.anglican.org
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land (ELCJHL) http://www.holyland-lutherans.org
Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation http://www.hcef.org
Living Stones of the HLT http://www.livingstonesonline.org.uk/
Middle East Christians http://mideastchristians.virtualactivism.org
Network for Alternative Travel http://www.HolyLandAlternatives.net
Open Bethlehem http://www.openbethlehem.org
Sabeel, Palestinian Ecumenical Liberation Theology Group http://www.sabeel.org
Via Dolorosa http://www.via-dolorosa.net
YMCA East Jerusalem http://www.ej-ymca.org
YWCA in Palestine http://www.ywca-palestine.org/
http://www.wusul.com/

Non-Palestinian Christian groups that are actively speaking out on behalf against the systematic Israeli violations of human rights (violations that effect both Palestinian Christians and Muslims).  Just a few examples:

American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org/
Anglican Communion News Service http://anglicancommunion.org/acns
Baptist Peace Fellowship http://bpfna.org/
Christian Peacemaker Teams http://www.cpt.org
Churches for Middle East Peace http://www.cmep.org
Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace http://www.ccmep.org
Every Church a Peace Church http://www.ecapc.org/mainframe.asp
Fellowship of Reconciliation – Israel/Palestine Program http://www.forusa.org/programs/ipb/default.html
Friends of Sabeel, North America http://www.fosna.org
Global Ministries http://www.globalministries.org
Humanity Check http://home.earthlink.net/~humanitycheck/
Methodist Federation for Social Action http://www.mfsaweb.org
Middle East Council of Churches http://www.mec-churches.org
National Conference of Catholic Bishops http://www.nccbuscc.org/sdwp/middleast.htm
Pax Christi USA http://www.paxchristiusa.org/pc_israel_palestine.asp
Presbyterian Church USA http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07028.htm
Stephen Sizer, Christ Church http://www.christ-church.info/articles/articles.html
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace http://www.sojo.net/
World Council of Churches http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/palestine
St Valentine Orthodox Christian Seminary, article on Palestine http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/Paul-Nadim-Tarazi/Articles/Covenant-Land-and-City.html
Unitarian Universalists http://www.uua.org/actions/immediate/06peace.html
and http://www.uua.org/actions/immediate/02peace_and_justice.html
World Alliance of YMCA – Israel/Palestine http://www.ymca.int/index.php?id=49

OTHER LINKS
- Debunking the oxymoronic "Christian Zionism" http://www.christianzionism.org
- http://www.cjpsd.com
- Ann Hafften's Lutheran blog [ http://voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/]
- http://www.wrmea.com/archives/November_2005/0511064.html
- Mainline Churches vs. Israel? Will new church moves toward stopping investment in companies that do business in Israel endanger Christian-Jewish relations? By Daniel Treiman http://www.beliefnet.com/story/155/story_15507_1.html
-Council of Churches and Christian Churches call for Action 2006  Click here>World
- World Churches call to action for June 2007 http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pr-07-37.html
- Historic Christian towns losing ground in Holy Land http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak16.html
- Palestinian Christians make action against construction of Israel's separation barrier on Palestinian Christian lands in Wadi Nis village, in Ma'asarat (South of Bethlehem area,) marking Good Friday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZsMcWrNzZ4
- http://www.christusrex.org/www1/icons/palestine-index.html

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
http://qumsiyeh.org

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