A number of Christian families have finally decided to break their silence and talk openly about what they describe as Muslim persecution of the Christian minority in this city. The move comes as a result of increased attacks on Christians by Muslims over the past few months. The families said they wrote letters to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the Vatican, Church leaders and European governments complaining about the attacks, but their appeals have fallen on deaf ears.Usually, there is very little the west can do to stop or protect the persecution of minorities in Arab countries, but considering the Palestinian Authority cannot exist without the largess of the western governments and the various NGO's operating in the West Bank and Gaza; we do have a lever to pull in this case. Regrettably, what we lack is a political will to demand the Palestinians act decently and humanly towards all the minority groups under its authority.
According to the families, many Christians have long been afraid to complain in public about the campaign of "intimidation" for fear of retaliation by their Muslim neighbors and being branded "collaborators" with Israel. But following an increase in attacks on Christian-owned property in the city over the past few months, some Christians are no longer afraid to talk about the ultra-sensitive issue. And they are talking openly about leaving the city.
"The situation is very dangerous," said Samir Qumsiyeh, owner of the Beit Sahur-based private Al-Mahd (Nativity) TV station. "I believe that 15 years from now there will be no Christians left in Bethlehem. Then you will need a torch to find a Christian here. This is a very sad situation."
Qumsiyeh, one of the few Christians willing to speak about the harsh conditions of their community, has been the subject of numerous death threats. His house was recently attacked with fire-bombs, but no one was hurt. Qumsiyeh said he has documented more than 160 incidents of attacks on Christians in the area in recent years.
He said a monk was recently roughed up for trying to prevent a group of Muslim men from seizing lands owned by Christians in Beit Sahur. Thieves have targeted the homes of many Christian families and a "land mafia" has succeeded in laying its hands on vast areas of land belonging to Christians, he added.
Fuad and Georgette Lama woke up one morning last September to discover that Muslims from a nearby village had fenced off their family's six-dunam plot in the Karkafa suburb south of Bethlehem. "A lawyer and an official with the Palestinian Authority just came and took our land," said 69-year-old Georgette Lama.
The couple was later approached by senior PA security officers who offered to help them kick out the intruders from the land. "We paid them $1,000 so they could help us regain our land," she said, almost in tears. "Instead of giving us back our land, they simply decided to keep it for themselves. They even destroyed all the olive trees and divided the land into small plots, apparently so that they could offer each for sale." When her 72-year-old husband, Fuad, went to the land to ask the intruders to leave, he was severely beaten and threatened with guns.
"My husband is after heart surgery and they still beat him," Georgette Lama said. "These people have no heart. We're afraid to go to our land because they will shoot at us. Ever since the beating, my husband is in a state of trauma and has difficulties talking." The Lamas have since knocked on the doors of scores of PA officials in Bethlehem seeking their intervention, but to no avail. At one stage, they sent a letter to Abbas, who promised to launch an investigation.
"We heard that President Mahmoud Abbas is taking our case very seriously," said Georgette Lama. "But until now he hasn't done anything to help us get our land back. We are very concerned because we're not the only ones suffering from this phenomenon. Most Christians are afraid to speak, but I don't care because we have nothing more to lose."
Thursday, January 25, 2007
When the Palestinians land grab - no one cares for the victims
While the systematic persecution of Christians or minorities is nothing new under the sun in Arab countries it nevertheless is not the least bit heartening to see the Palestinian Authority playing true to type. Jerusalem Post carries this article highlighting the plight of Christian Arabs in Bethlehem:
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2 comments:
The threat by aggressive Muslims, be they an organized state such as Iran, Syria or factions of zealots within those countries acting independently are not going away regardless of how many diplomatic solution seekers continue to hide their heads in the sand. Historically the Muslim creed has been to dominate their neighbors into submission with no regard or consideration of treaties. It would appear that the only way to contain such a threat is to remove their ability to make war, in other words, quash them and keep them bottled up.
The idea that Israel is a threat by virtue of their desire to survive a constant assault by their neighboring Muslim enemies is preposterous. Israel has been in a state of forced appeasement with the rest of the world determining how far Israel must bend over backwards to accommodate a so called peace.
That part of the world which expects to remain independent and free should make sure they have the back bone necessary to confront the Muslim attempt to take over as much as the weak will permit. While President Bush has made several tactical mistakes along with political blunders concerning his “war on terror”; the fact remains that if America withdraws and concedes defeat to the Muslim world, it will make it that much more difficult to defeat that threat later on. This is not an “if that threat occurs later on”, but a “when that threat makes itself more apparent to those who are intent on ignoring it now.”.
T. F. Stern:
you are absolutely right about an American retreat now making victory later more difficult.
Kate:
The most twisted part of the whole "Muslim persecution of Bethlehem's Christian minority" is that, up until 10 years ago, Bethlehem had a Christian majority!
Under the PA, institutionalized persecution of all non-muslims has become policy. The municipal boundries of Bethlehem were even redrawn to increase the number of muslims in the town council.
But of course, it's just Arab vs Arab, so who cares? It only matters when big, nasty Israel oppresses the terrorists...
Naw, I'm not bitter...
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