The increasing speed with which the Christians of the Middle East are fleeing would suggest that... it is entirely possible that the next time the Pope celebrates Mass in Bethlehem, he will be the last Christian in the Middle East.
The fact, like it or not, is that
under the rule of the Jews in Israel, the Christian and Muslim communities live in complete security and have absolute freedom of worship. Churches are not burned. Mosques are not burned.
In some places, such as Myanmar, Muslims are indeed being grievously victimized (by Buddhists), and these abuses should not be tolerated.
The joyous Christmas mass celebrated in Bethlehem did nothing to dispel the tragedy of the Christian community in the Middle East, which, in the shadow of the "Arab Winter", is fighting a desperate battle for personal and economic security, a life of dignity and freedom of worship.
Facing increasing Muslim persecution, the Christians in the Middle East are emigrating as Fast as they can, reminiscent of the mid-20th century exodus of the Jews from the Arab countries, when they fled Persecution, Murder, Rape and the Theft of their property at the hands of gangs of militant Muslims.
Qatar's official TV station, Al Jazeera, which encourages Islamist terrorist attacks against Israel, against the Syrian regime and against the Egyptian government, this year decided that holiday cheer required false accusations against Israel for persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem. Despite the general confusion, chaos and mournful atmosphere of Christmas this year in the "Arab Spring" countries, Qatar TV's plan did not succeed.
The reason it did not is that, as Arabs, we can see that Israel is the only place on earth that allows the three main monotheistic faiths complete and unfettered freedom of worship.
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The Al-Anba Mousa Church in Minya, Egypt, after being torched by Islamists.
(Image source: Screenshot of Human Rights Watch video)
