Churches Denounce Israel Violence Aganst Christians

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Churches in Jerusalem are speaking out against human rights abuses there against Christians . Why do they only come together to denounce the human rights abuses when Christians are the victims? Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians. Published yesterday JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- "Patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on Sunday released a joint statement denouncing attacks by Israeli police officers on worshipers and pilgrims during Holy Saturday at the Church of Holy Sepulcher.Signatories of the statement highlighted that they saw “awful scenes of the brutal treatment to clerics, average people and pilgrims in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday.”*They added: “A day of joy was turned into a day of severe sadness and pain for several of our faithful brothers who were mistreated by a number of Israeli police officers at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”It is unacceptable, according to the statement, that clergymen and average people “get beaten brutally and indiscriminately and be denied access to their churches under the pretext of keeping order.”*The statement urged the Israeli government to denounce the violence that police practiced against worshipers and clergymen.*The patriarchs and heads of churches also denied claims of those who blamed the churches for what happened during the Holy week in Jerusalem. “These claims are counter to what happened in reality, and all heads of churches condemn the Israeli procedures and violations of the Christians’ rights,” the statement said.*The statement was signed by heads of all recognized churches in the Holy Land including the Roman Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Custodian of the Holy Land, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church." Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians | Maan News Agency Another report of the same incident: " JERUSALEM (AP) — A dozen senior church leaders in the Holy Land say Israeli police "ill-treated" clergy, including a Coptic Egyptian cleric, during Orthodox Easter services.The leaders signed a letter on Sunday expressing concern and saying policemen allegedly used force and prevented clergymen and pilgrims from entering places of worship during Holy Saturday earlier this month.The event drew thousands of people to Jerusalem's Old City and hundreds of Israeli police were on guard during the day." http://news.yahoo.com/holy-land-church-leaders-clergy-mistreated-174733203.html

 

[P F Tinmore]

Is this the same incident?

Holy Land church leaders say clergy mistreated

Holy Land church leaders say clergy mistreated

 

[Roudy]

Churches in Jerusalem are speaking out against human rights abuses there against Christians . Why do they only come together to denounce the human rights abuses when Christians are the victims? Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians. Published yesterday JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- "Patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on Sunday released a joint statement denouncing attacks by Israeli police officers on worshipers and pilgrims during Holy Saturday at the Church of Holy Sepulcher.Signatories of the statement highlighted that they saw “awful scenes of the brutal treatment to clerics, average people and pilgrims in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday.”*They added: “A day of joy was turned into a day of severe sadness and pain for several of our faithful brothers who were mistreated by a number of Israeli police officers at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”It is unacceptable, according to the statement, that clergymen and average people “get beaten brutally and indiscriminately and be denied access to their churches under the pretext of keeping order.”*The statement urged the Israeli government to denounce the violence that police practiced against worshipers and clergymen.*The patriarchs and heads of churches also denied claims of those who blamed the churches for what happened during the Holy week in Jerusalem. “These claims are counter to what happened in reality, and all heads of churches condemn the Israeli procedures and violations of the Christians’ rights,” the statement said.*The statement was signed by heads of all recognized churches in the Holy Land including the Roman Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Custodian of the Holy Land, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church." Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians | Maan News Agency

Nobody cares what an Arab propaganda site called "maan news agency" blabbers. There is no such thing as "violence against the Christians" by Israelis. However, its the Muslims that are killing and persecuting Christians, including Palestinian Christians.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=KKfe12JBFGw&feature=relmfu]Palestinian Christians Face Persecution - YouTube[/ame]

 

[P F Tinmore]

Churches in Jerusalem are speaking out against human rights abuses there against Christians . Why do they only come together to denounce the human rights abuses when Christians are the victims? Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians. Published yesterday JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- "Patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on Sunday released a joint statement denouncing attacks by Israeli police officers on worshipers and pilgrims during Holy Saturday at the Church of Holy Sepulcher.Signatories of the statement highlighted that they saw “awful scenes of the brutal treatment to clerics, average people and pilgrims in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday.”*They added: “A day of joy was turned into a day of severe sadness and pain for several of our faithful brothers who were mistreated by a number of Israeli police officers at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”It is unacceptable, according to the statement, that clergymen and average people “get beaten brutally and indiscriminately and be denied access to their churches under the pretext of keeping order.”*The statement urged the Israeli government to denounce the violence that police practiced against worshipers and clergymen.*The patriarchs and heads of churches also denied claims of those who blamed the churches for what happened during the Holy week in Jerusalem. “These claims are counter to what happened in reality, and all heads of churches condemn the Israeli procedures and violations of the Christians’ rights,” the statement said.*The statement was signed by heads of all recognized churches in the Holy Land including the Roman Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Custodian of the Holy Land, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church." Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians | Maan News Agency

Nobody cares what an Arab propaganda site called "maan news agency" blabbers. There is no such thing as "violence against the Christians" by Israelis. However, its the Muslims that are killing and persecuting Christians, including Palestinian Christians.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=KKfe12JBFGw&feature=relmfu]Palestinian Christians Face Persecution - YouTube[/ame]

1) This is about 10 years old.

2) This story was created by an Israeli.

 

[patrickcaturday]

Churches in Jerusalem are speaking out against human rights abuses there against Christians . Why do they only come together to denounce the human rights abuses when Christians are the victims? Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians. Published yesterday JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- "Patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on Sunday released a joint statement denouncing attacks by Israeli police officers on worshipers and pilgrims during Holy Saturday at the Church of Holy Sepulcher.Signatories of the statement highlighted that they saw “awful scenes of the brutal treatment to clerics, average people and pilgrims in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday.”*They added: “A day of joy was turned into a day of severe sadness and pain for several of our faithful brothers who were mistreated by a number of Israeli police officers at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”It is unacceptable, according to the statement, that clergymen and average people “get beaten brutally and indiscriminately and be denied access to their churches under the pretext of keeping order.”*The statement urged the Israeli government to denounce the violence that police practiced against worshipers and clergymen.*The patriarchs and heads of churches also denied claims of those who blamed the churches for what happened during the Holy week in Jerusalem. “These claims are counter to what happened in reality, and all heads of churches condemn the Israeli procedures and violations of the Christians’ rights,” the statement said.*The statement was signed by heads of all recognized churches in the Holy Land including the Roman Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Custodian of the Holy Land, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church." Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians | Maan News Agency

Yet another reason why Israel should be held to it's promises to make Jerusalem and the surrounding area into an international enclave. Heres an idea why don't we put all of the holy sites in Israel under the control of the Buddists, no one would question their neutrality.

On a side note anyone care to place any bets on how Hoss will answer the OP

 

[CMike]

You may want to try using legitimate sources.

Arab propoganda sites are not legitimitate sources.

They are controlled by the arab governments.

 

[Roudy]

This thread is one big joke. Terrorist supporting Islamists complaining about "treatment of Chrsitians". Of course this is after Hamas passing strict Shariah laws that will impose Islamic laws upon ALL non Muslims including Christians.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=0YVWk8qjsU8]Hamas Imposing Sharia Law In Gaza - YouTube[/ame]

Centuries of Persecution

The discriminatory treatment of Christians by the Muslim majority and the consequences of continuing Arab hostility towards the state of Israel have led to increasing migration from the West Bank and Gaza, the areas controlled by Muslims. Christians in those two areas now account for only about 40,000, 1.5 per cent of the total. The towns of Ramallah and Bethlehem, which depended on the Christian tourist and pilgrim trade, both lost their Christian majorities. In 1995, the number of Christians in Bethlehem was two-thirds of the population; today it is now less than 20 percent. According to the1947 census held by the British there were 28,000 Christians in Jerusalem; in 1967 after 19 years of Jordanian rule there were 11,000. By contrast, the number of Christians in Israel has increased from 34,000 in 1949 and 120,000 in 1995 to over 150,000, now numbering about nine percent of the Israeli Arab population, and two percent of the total population in all of Israel.

The Christian community in the West Bank and Gaza has a median age of 32 compared to, the Muslim median age of 16. By comparison with the Muslims, its members are older when they marry, have a lower fertility rate, are better educated, are twice as likely to have a university degree, have a higher income, and are more likely to be in white collar and business professions. Discrimination against, hostility towards and intimidation of Christians by Palestinians has taken a number of forms. From 1949 to 1967 Jordan occupied the West Bank; its laws forbade Christians from buying land and houses in the Old City of Jerusalem; all schools were closed on Muslim holidays; mosques were deliberately built near churches. The Palestinian Authority formulated a Constitution in 2003 that declared that Islam was "the official religion. " The Constitution also declares that in a Palestinian state the principles of Islamic Sharia law are to be the main source of legislation. The statement that "respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained" is contradicted in practice by the attacks and condemnation of Christians in mosques, sermons, and publications of Islamic groups. Furthermore, the Palestinian legal and judicial system does not provide protection for Christian land owners, and enforces discrimination in educational, cultural, and taxation policies.

More drastically, Christians have suffered direct harassment. They have been intimidated and maltreated; money has been extorted, land and property confiscated, and Christian women have been abused, raped, abducted and been subjected to forced marriages. Attempts have been made to impose the Islamic women's dress code on them. The Palestinian Authority has denied Christian, as well as Jewish, ties to Jerusalem. Christian holy sites have been disparaged or insulted. The Palestine Liberation Organization in July 1997 evicted monks and nuns from the Holy Trinity Monastery in Hebron. Palestinian gunmen positioned themselves in or near Christian homes, hotels, and churches during fighting against Israel. The most notorious example of Palestinian insult was the takeover on April 2, 2002 of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by over 150 gunmen who used the Church to fire against Israeli soldiers who out of respect for the Church did not return fire. Priests, monks, and nuns were essentially hostages of the Palestinians, who apparently stole gold and other property including prayer books.

Theft of Christian land and property as well as desecration of Christian institutions and disparagement of the religion has occurred. There are allegations of Christians being forced off their land by gangs upheld by a corrupt judiciary. Businesses have had to pay protection money to maintain their existence. Individuals who have converted to Christianity have been threatened. After a Christian man dated a Muslim woman from a neighboring village in September 2005, armed Muslims crying "Allahu Akbar" attacked the Christian city of Taibe, setting fire to homes and businesses and destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. The woman had already been poisoned by her own family in an "honor killing."

Christian graves in the Gaza Strip have been dug up. Anti-Christian graffiti has appeared, and Christian cemeteries and statues have been defaced. A Muslim mob in February 2002 attacked churches and Christian shops in Ramallah. The First Baptist Church of Bethlehem was firebombed on at least fourteen occasions, and the pastor, Naem Khoury, was shot. In Gaza in June 2007 a leader of the Baptist Church, one of the oldest in the area and which contains Gaza's only Christian library, was kidnapped and murdered. The Sagrada Familia school in Gaza was torched, and the nuns' building in the Convent of the Sisters of the Rosary in June 2007 was looted, and holy images and sacred books were burned.

In a speech in Paris, reported in L'Osservatore Romano on September 17, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI, concerned about developments in Muslim Middle East countries, suggested considering the concept of "positive laicity," a term he borrowed from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The term refers to societies in which various religions should be allowed to exist, all of them separate from the state, and all treated in a positive fashion. The Pope was conscious of the danger facing Christianity if Islamic fundamentalism is successful and theocratic Arab regimes are created. Unlike the Palestinian Muslim treatment of its Christian minority, Israeli policy is built on a separation of religion and state in a society that is pluralistic and upholds freedom of religions and human rights.

In view of the comparative records of Palestinian Muslim and Israeli actions towards their Christian minorities, Israel comes closer to the positive laicity suggested by the Pope and President Sarkozy than Muslim Palestinians.

Michael Curtis is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University, and author of the forthcoming book, Should Israel Exist? A sovereign nation under assault by the international community.

 

[sealadaigh]

Churches in Jerusalem are speaking out against human rights abuses there against Christians . Why do they only come together to denounce the human rights abuses when Christians are the victims? Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians. Published yesterday JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- "Patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on Sunday released a joint statement denouncing attacks by Israeli police officers on worshipers and pilgrims during Holy Saturday at the Church of Holy Sepulcher.Signatories of the statement highlighted that they saw “awful scenes of the brutal treatment to clerics, average people and pilgrims in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday.”*They added: “A day of joy was turned into a day of severe sadness and pain for several of our faithful brothers who were mistreated by a number of Israeli police officers at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”It is unacceptable, according to the statement, that clergymen and average people “get beaten brutally and indiscriminately and be denied access to their churches under the pretext of keeping order.”*The statement urged the Israeli government to denounce the violence that police practiced against worshipers and clergymen.*The patriarchs and heads of churches also denied claims of those who blamed the churches for what happened during the Holy week in Jerusalem. “These claims are counter to what happened in reality, and all heads of churches condemn the Israeli procedures and violations of the Christians’ rights,” the statement said.*The statement was signed by heads of all recognized churches in the Holy Land including the Roman Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Custodian of the Holy Land, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church." Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians | Maan News Agency

Nobody cares what an Arab propaganda site called "maan news agency" blabbers. There is no such thing as "violence against the Christians" by Israelis. However, its the Muslims that are killing and persecuting Christians, including Palestinian Christians.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=KKfe12JBFGw&feature=relmfu]Palestinian Christians Face Persecution - YouTube[/ame]

1) This is about 10 years old.

2) This story was created by an Israeli.

LOL...the goof calls maan news agency propaganda and then tries to foist the christian broadcaast network on us. before ya know it, ol' roudy will be out on the street corner charming snakes, thumping bibles, praising the lord, and praying for a foreskin regrowth.

as for me, i think i will stick with your AP article.

jesus still loves ya, roudy...and the rest of us are tryin'.

 

[Roudy]

Churches in Jerusalem are speaking out against human rights abuses there against Christians . Why do they only come together to denounce the human rights abuses when Christians are the victims? Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians. Published yesterday JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- "Patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on Sunday released a joint statement denouncing attacks by Israeli police officers on worshipers and pilgrims during Holy Saturday at the Church of Holy Sepulcher.Signatories of the statement highlighted that they saw “awful scenes of the brutal treatment to clerics, average people and pilgrims in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday.”*They added: “A day of joy was turned into a day of severe sadness and pain for several of our faithful brothers who were mistreated by a number of Israeli police officers at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”It is unacceptable, according to the statement, that clergymen and average people “get beaten brutally and indiscriminately and be denied access to their churches under the pretext of keeping order.”*The statement urged the Israeli government to denounce the violence that police practiced against worshipers and clergymen.*The patriarchs and heads of churches also denied claims of those who blamed the churches for what happened during the Holy week in Jerusalem. “These claims are counter to what happened in reality, and all heads of churches condemn the Israeli procedures and violations of the Christians’ rights,” the statement said.*The statement was signed by heads of all recognized churches in the Holy Land including the Roman Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Custodian of the Holy Land, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church." Churches denounce Israel violence against Christians | Maan News Agency

Nobody cares what an Arab propaganda site called "maan news agency" blabbers. There is no such thing as "violence against the Christians" by Israelis. However, its the Muslims that are killing and persecuting Christians, including Palestinian Christians.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=KKfe12JBFGw&feature=relmfu]Palestinian Christians Face Persecution - YouTube[/ame]

1) This is about 10 years old.

2) This story was created by an Israeli.

3) the story is true and happens all the time
4) who do you think Christians would complain to? THEIR MUSLIM OPPRESSORS? Ya right and that's when they get killed or tortured.

 

[longknife]

Well, I'll be posting a REAL thread about anti-Christian atrocities - Holocaust of Christians in the Muslim World on the Horizon

 

[Roudy]

Nobody cares what an Arab propaganda site called "maan news agency" blabbers. There is no such thing as "violence against the Christians" by Israelis. However, its the Muslims that are killing and persecuting Christians, including Palestinian Christians.

Palestinian Christians Face Persecution - YouTube

1) This is about 10 years old.

2) This story was created by an Israeli.

LOL...the goof calls maan news agency propaganda and then tries to foist the christian broadcaast network on us. before ya know it, ol' roudy will be out on the street corner charming snakes, thumping bibles, praising the lord, and praying for a foreskin regrowth.

as for me, i think i will stick with your AP article.

jesus still loves ya, roudy...and the rest of us are tryin'.

Maan news agency is an Arab propaganda site. You didn't even need to know that to determine that the garbage Sherri posted is lies propaganda. It just cites Israeli violence against Christians yet there is no real example. "Man bites dog". LOL

Perhaps you should tell that to the millions of Christians that visit Israel on a yearly basis from the US and elsewhere in the world. Ha ha ha

 

[Roudy]

Well, I'll be posting a REAL thread about anti-Christian atrocities - Holocaust of Christians in the Muslim World on the Horizon

I think these people are living in some sort of parallel reality. Muslims are across the world are killing Christians and burning down churches, yet what we hear about is this non existent "violence " towards Christians by Israelis. Ha ha ha.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

You may want to try using legitimate sources.

Arab propoganda sites are not legitimitate sources.

They are controlled by the arab governments.

Palestinian news sources have as much credibility as any other. You might try to be human and see Palestinians as human too! So funny, you cannot silence those churches from speaking out against persecution against Christians In Jerusalem!

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Well, I'll be posting a REAL thread about anti-Christian atrocities - Holocaust of Christians in the Muslim World on the Horizon

What else would one expect from the likes of you? You see persection of Christisns by Israeli Zionist Jews and you respond with hate of Muslims! Lmao!

 

[sealadaigh]

This thread is one big joke. Terrorist supporting Islamists complaining about "treatment of Chrsitians". Of course this is after Hamas passing strict Shariah laws that will impose Islamic laws upon ALL non Muslims including Christians.

Hamas Imposing Sharia Law In Gaza - YouTube

Centuries of Persecution

The discriminatory treatment of Christians by the Muslim majority and the consequences of continuing Arab hostility towards the state of Israel have led to increasing migration from the West Bank and Gaza, the areas controlled by Muslims. Christians in those two areas now account for only about 40,000, 1.5 per cent of the total. The towns of Ramallah and Bethlehem, which depended on the Christian tourist and pilgrim trade, both lost their Christian majorities. In 1995, the number of Christians in Bethlehem was two-thirds of the population; today it is now less than 20 percent. According to the1947 census held by the British there were 28,000 Christians in Jerusalem; in 1967 after 19 years of Jordanian rule there were 11,000. By contrast, the number of Christians in Israel has increased from 34,000 in 1949 and 120,000 in 1995 to over 150,000, now numbering about nine percent of the Israeli Arab population, and two percent of the total population in all of Israel.

The Christian community in the West Bank and Gaza has a median age of 32 compared to, the Muslim median age of 16. By comparison with the Muslims, its members are older when they marry, have a lower fertility rate, are better educated, are twice as likely to have a university degree, have a higher income, and are more likely to be in white collar and business professions.

Discrimination against, hostility towards and intimidation of Christians by Palestinians has taken a number of forms. From 1949 to 1967 Jordan occupied the West Bank; its laws forbade Christians from buying land and houses in the Old City of Jerusalem; all schools were closed on Muslim holidays; mosques were deliberately built near churches. The Palestinian Authority formulated a Constitution in 2003 that declared that Islam was "the official religion. " The Constitution also declares that in a Palestinian state the principles of Islamic Sharia law are to be the main source of legislation. The statement that "respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained" is contradicted in practice by the attacks and condemnation of Christians in mosques, sermons, and publications of Islamic groups. Furthermore, the Palestinian legal and judicial system does not provide protection for Christian land owners, and enforces discrimination in educational, cultural, and taxation policies.

More drastically, Christians have suffered direct harassment. They have been intimidated and maltreated; money has been extorted, land and property confiscated, and Christian women have been abused, raped, abducted and been subjected to forced marriages. Attempts have been made to impose the Islamic women's dress code on them.

The Palestinian Authority has denied Christian, as well as Jewish, ties to Jerusalem. Christian holy sites have been disparaged or insulted. The Palestine Liberation Organization in July 1997 evicted monks and nuns from the Holy Trinity Monastery in Hebron. Palestinian gunmen positioned themselves in or near Christian homes, hotels, and churches during fighting against Israel. The most notorious example of Palestinian insult was the takeover on April 2, 2002 of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by over 150 gunmen who used the Church to fire against Israeli soldiers who out of respect for the Church did not return fire. Priests, monks, and nuns were essentially hostages of the Palestinians, who apparently stole gold and other property including prayer books.

Theft of Christian land and property as well as desecration of Christian institutions and disparagement of the religion has occurred. There are allegations of Christians being forced off their land by gangs upheld by a corrupt judiciary. Businesses have had to pay protection money to maintain their existence. Individuals who have converted to Christianity have been threatened. After a Christian man dated a Muslim woman from a neighboring village in September 2005, armed Muslims crying "Allahu Akbar" attacked the Christian city of Taibe, setting fire to homes and businesses and destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. The woman had already been poisoned by her own family in an "honor killing."

Christian graves in the Gaza Strip have been dug up. Anti-Christian graffiti has appeared, and Christian cemeteries and statues have been defaced. A Muslim mob in February 2002 attacked churches and Christian shops in Ramallah. The First Baptist Church of Bethlehem was firebombed on at least fourteen occasions, and the pastor, Naem Khoury, was shot. In Gaza in June 2007 a leader of the Baptist Church, one of the oldest in the area and which contains Gaza's only Christian library, was kidnapped and murdered. The Sagrada Familia school in Gaza was torched, and the nuns' building in the Convent of the Sisters of the Rosary in June 2007 was looted, and holy images and sacred books were burned.

In a speech in Paris, reported in L'Osservatore Romano on September 17, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI, concerned about developments in Muslim Middle East countries, suggested considering the concept of "positive laicity," a term he borrowed from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The term refers to societies in which various religions should be allowed to exist, all of them separate from the state, and all treated in a positive fashion. The Pope was conscious of the danger facing Christianity if Islamic fundamentalism is successful and theocratic Arab regimes are created. Unlike the Palestinian Muslim treatment of its Christian minority, Israeli policy is built on a separation of religion and state in a society that is pluralistic and upholds freedom of religions and human rights.

In view of the comparative records of Palestinian Muslim and Israeli actions towards their Christian minorities, Israel comes closer to the positive laicity suggested by the Pope and President Sarkozy than Muslim Palestinians.

Michael Curtis is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University, and author of the forthcoming book, Should Israel Exist? A sovereign nation under assault by the international community.

LOLOLOL...you are super funny today, roudy.

ya know, when i want an objective report on anything, particularly israel, i always look first at a policy institute founded by a bigoted jewish woman...

Nina Rosenwald | loonwatch.com

 

[Roudy]

This thread is one big joke. Terrorist supporting Islamists complaining about "treatment of Chrsitians". Of course this is after Hamas passing strict Shariah laws that will impose Islamic laws upon ALL non Muslims including Christians.

Hamas Imposing Sharia Law In Gaza - YouTube

Centuries of Persecution

The discriminatory treatment of Christians by the Muslim majority and the consequences of continuing Arab hostility towards the state of Israel have led to increasing migration from the West Bank and Gaza, the areas controlled by Muslims. Christians in those two areas now account for only about 40,000, 1.5 per cent of the total. The towns of Ramallah and Bethlehem, which depended on the Christian tourist and pilgrim trade, both lost their Christian majorities. In 1995, the number of Christians in Bethlehem was two-thirds of the population; today it is now less than 20 percent. According to the1947 census held by the British there were 28,000 Christians in Jerusalem; in 1967 after 19 years of Jordanian rule there were 11,000. By contrast, the number of Christians in Israel has increased from 34,000 in 1949 and 120,000 in 1995 to over 150,000, now numbering about nine percent of the Israeli Arab population, and two percent of the total population in all of Israel.

The Christian community in the West Bank and Gaza has a median age of 32 compared to, the Muslim median age of 16. By comparison with the Muslims, its members are older when they marry, have a lower fertility rate, are better educated, are twice as likely to have a university degree, have a higher income, and are more likely to be in white collar and business professions.

Discrimination against, hostility towards and intimidation of Christians by Palestinians has taken a number of forms. From 1949 to 1967 Jordan occupied the West Bank; its laws forbade Christians from buying land and houses in the Old City of Jerusalem; all schools were closed on Muslim holidays; mosques were deliberately built near churches. The Palestinian Authority formulated a Constitution in 2003 that declared that Islam was "the official religion. " The Constitution also declares that in a Palestinian state the principles of Islamic Sharia law are to be the main source of legislation. The statement that "respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained" is contradicted in practice by the attacks and condemnation of Christians in mosques, sermons, and publications of Islamic groups. Furthermore, the Palestinian legal and judicial system does not provide protection for Christian land owners, and enforces discrimination in educational, cultural, and taxation policies.

More drastically, Christians have suffered direct harassment. They have been intimidated and maltreated; money has been extorted, land and property confiscated, and Christian women have been abused, raped, abducted and been subjected to forced marriages. Attempts have been made to impose the Islamic women's dress code on them.

The Palestinian Authority has denied Christian, as well as Jewish, ties to Jerusalem. Christian holy sites have been disparaged or insulted. The Palestine Liberation Organization in July 1997 evicted monks and nuns from the Holy Trinity Monastery in Hebron. Palestinian gunmen positioned themselves in or near Christian homes, hotels, and churches during fighting against Israel. The most notorious example of Palestinian insult was the takeover on April 2, 2002 of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by over 150 gunmen who used the Church to fire against Israeli soldiers who out of respect for the Church did not return fire. Priests, monks, and nuns were essentially hostages of the Palestinians, who apparently stole gold and other property including prayer books.

Theft of Christian land and property as well as desecration of Christian institutions and disparagement of the religion has occurred. There are allegations of Christians being forced off their land by gangs upheld by a corrupt judiciary. Businesses have had to pay protection money to maintain their existence. Individuals who have converted to Christianity have been threatened. After a Christian man dated a Muslim woman from a neighboring village in September 2005, armed Muslims crying "Allahu Akbar" attacked the Christian city of Taibe, setting fire to homes and businesses and destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. The woman had already been poisoned by her own family in an "honor killing."

Christian graves in the Gaza Strip have been dug up. Anti-Christian graffiti has appeared, and Christian cemeteries and statues have been defaced. A Muslim mob in February 2002 attacked churches and Christian shops in Ramallah. The First Baptist Church of Bethlehem was firebombed on at least fourteen occasions, and the pastor, Naem Khoury, was shot. In Gaza in June 2007 a leader of the Baptist Church, one of the oldest in the area and which contains Gaza's only Christian library, was kidnapped and murdered. The Sagrada Familia school in Gaza was torched, and the nuns' building in the Convent of the Sisters of the Rosary in June 2007 was looted, and holy images and sacred books were burned.

In a speech in Paris, reported in L'Osservatore Romano on September 17, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI, concerned about developments in Muslim Middle East countries, suggested considering the concept of "positive laicity," a term he borrowed from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The term refers to societies in which various religions should be allowed to exist, all of them separate from the state, and all treated in a positive fashion. The Pope was conscious of the danger facing Christianity if Islamic fundamentalism is successful and theocratic Arab regimes are created. Unlike the Palestinian Muslim treatment of its Christian minority, Israeli policy is built on a separation of religion and state in a society that is pluralistic and upholds freedom of religions and human rights.

In view of the comparative records of Palestinian Muslim and Israeli actions towards their Christian minorities, Israel comes closer to the positive laicity suggested by the Pope and President Sarkozy than Muslim Palestinians.

Michael Curtis is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University, and author of the forthcoming book, Should Israel Exist? A sovereign nation under assault by the international community.

LOLOLOL...you are super funny today, roudy.

ya know, when i want an objective report on anything, particularly israel, i always look first at a policy institute founded by a bigoted jewish woman...

Nina Rosenwald | loonwatch.com

Ha ha ha. The article is written by Michael Curtis is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University. Loon watch? Take a look at yourself in the mirror.

 

[Roudy]

You may want to try using legitimate sources.

Arab propoganda sites are not legitimitate sources.

They are controlled by the arab governments.

Palestinian news sources have as much credibility as any other. You might try to be human and see Palestinians as human too! So funny, you cannot silence those churches from speaking out against persecution against Christians In Jerusalem!

Palestinian news sources are infamous for lying. That's what they do for a living.

 

[MJB12741]

Well, we all know Sherri is very bright & non biased. She would not post any lies. So Sherri, tell those Zionists the names of the churches protesting the Israeli violence against them. Take that you Zionists.

1) This is about 10 years old.

2) This story was created by an Israeli.

LOL...the goof calls maan news agency propaganda and then tries to foist the christian broadcaast network on us. before ya know it, ol' roudy will be out on the street corner charming snakes, thumping bibles, praising the lord, and praying for a foreskin regrowth.

as for me, i think i will stick with your AP article.

jesus still loves ya, roudy...and the rest of us are tryin'.

Maan news agency is an Arab propaganda site. You didn't even need to know that to determine that the garbage Sherri posted is lies propaganda. It just cites Israeli violence against Christians yet there is no real example. "Man bites dog". LOL

Perhaps you should tell that to the millions of Christians that visit Israel on a yearly basis from the US and elsewhere in the world. Ha ha ha

 

[Roudy]

Well, I'll be posting a REAL thread about anti-Christian atrocities - Holocaust of Christians in the Muslim World on the Horizon

What else would one expect from the likes of you? You see persection of Christisns by Israeli Zionist Jews and you respond with hate of Muslims! Lmao!

Only a convert would deny the barbaric treatment of Christians by Muslims and point their finger at Jews.

 

[Roudy]

Well, we all know Sherri is very bright & non biased. She would not post any lies. So Sherri, tell those Zionists the names of the churches protesting the Israeli violence against them. Take that you Zionists.

LOL...the goof calls maan news agency propaganda and then tries to foist the christian broadcaast network on us. before ya know it, ol' roudy will be out on the street corner charming snakes, thumping bibles, praising the lord, and praying for a foreskin regrowth.

as for me, i think i will stick with your AP article.

jesus still loves ya, roudy...and the rest of us are tryin'.

Maan news agency is an Arab propaganda site. You didn't even need to know that to determine that the garbage Sherri posted is lies propaganda. It just cites Israeli violence against Christians yet there is no real example. "Man bites dog". LOL

Perhaps you should tell that to the millions of Christians that visit Israel on a yearly basis from the US and elsewhere in the world. Ha ha ha

Yeah. We're waiting....ha ha ha.