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So, here they come again. A new anti-Palestinian bill is in preparation on Capitol Hill… Act now to stop it!!!
The Palestinian American Federation
Please send to all on your list. To join the Federation click here
Act now to stop the lies in Congress regarding Palestinian Christians. They must not succeed in dividing our people.
Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Joseph Crowley (D-NY) are soliciting cosponsors for a bill addressing "the systematic destruction" of the Palestinian Christian community by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
WE must act now to stop the false accusation against the PA involvement in the "desecration of Christian holy sites and the forced submission to "Islamic law" and arbitrary imprisonment of Palestinian Christians."
Twisting the truth: The truth is, it is the Israelis, not the PA, that is destroying Christian Churches and confiscating Christian land.
"Dale Crowley Jr., used his WFAX broadcast to tell Christians in the Washington area of how the Israelis have oppressed Christian Palestinians, uprooting them from their homes, vandalized Christian churches in the Holy Land, and otherwise made life difficult for Christian Palestinians and other Christian Arabs in the Middle East. "He was fired after 20 years with the radio station.
Even Robert Novak�s who is a supporter of Israel, in his may column: "Plea for Palestinian Christians." In it he outlines a recent letter (and staff report) sent to the White House by Rep. Henry Hyde- who is also a supporter of Israel-, who has been raising awareness of the situation of the Christians in the Holy Land over the past couple of years. As the article lays out, Hyde raises concerns about the settlements and the separation barrier, particularly in the "Christian Triangle" area of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. Novak also cites Hyde�s concerns about Israeli settler actions in Jerusalem that, �undermine[s]� the stability of Jerusalem as a future shared capital of Israel and Palestine, which is described as �vital� to US interests in a two-state solution.�
In a letter to the White House Hyde wrote: "I cannot be blind when Israeli actions seem to go beyond the realm of legitimate security concerns and have negative consequences on communities and lands under their occupation."
Prominent Christians in Gaza told me their friends and relatives, denied access to and from the enclave, want to emigrate. Sami El-Youssef, financial vice president of Bethlehem University, said he believes there is a conscious Israeli policy of getting rid of the Christian minority, whose discomfiture is more politically embarrassing for Israel than Muslim distress.
"I could not find a Catholic layman or prelate who complained of anti-Christian bias by Muslims." Robert Novak
We urge everyone to speak out, especially our Christian brothers to stand up and make our voice heard loud and clear.
Below is the link for the House of Representatives. Send your congressman a message, call his Washington Office and his State Office.
United States House of Representatives, 109th Congress, 2nd Session: Homepage
{ 25 } Comments
Okay it's not all lies, some are true.
But get this, can the US sticks it nose out of Palest. Christians?
Actually if they are so concerned, maybe they can start doing something by halting their aid to Israel and stop backing them so blindly.
We can handle our own buisness, we are not a minority!
This is our land, grand fathers land, our grandfathers 2000 years ago defied everything and everyone to spread their message, the message of Christ!
We are here to stay.
I saw the Novak article when it first appeared and quite frankly, I was surprised by Novak writing such an article. I absolutely loathe this man. His credentials include membership in that famous think tank Project for a New American Century and of course the Valerie Plame leak. How is it that Judith Miller (also no hero in my book) went to jail for not revealing her sources yet Novak who WROTE the article outing Plame is free to run around and spout off his mouth on Fox as well as continue to write mallarky? He is the ultimate TEFLON SLEAZEBAG JOURNALIST out there. OK, you wonder why I'm attacking Novak when he wrote an article about Israeli atrocities against Palestinian Christians which absolutely should be reported? It's because everyone on earth knows he is the neocon mouthpiece (along with Kristol, president of PNAC)for this admininistration. Novak would have never written this article, staunch Zionist that he is, without a motive. My hunch is that it was a scrap thrown to the fundamentalist base which will be long forgotten. Anyways, who cares what the Israeli's do (extreme sarcasm) when you can ALWAYS go after the Palestinians. The above post seems to be saying that the PA IS causing some trouble for the Christians but then quite correctly points out that it's none of the US's problem. We didn't say anything in Congress about the Israelis causing problems for the Christians, why the heck are we saying something about the PA? Why? Because it's one more case of the US turning the screws on the Palestinians. Has anyone in the Palestinian community asked for our help? Not that I've heard of. There is much more complexity to this matter than meets the eye, ESPECIALLY in regards to the Novak article.
Firas,
Maybe you like to read this:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4811.shtml
and
http://www.cmep.org/Alerts/2006June14.htm
I could not find a single democrat who is pro-Palestine in our congress. Americans are being brainwashed every day by our mass media. For most of us, Palestinians are no more than a bunch of anti-Semitic suicide bombers." Never again!!" has given the right for Americans to expel another race from their land to be filled by birthright citizens from around the globe.
Bear in mind, A HUGE NUMBER OF Christians here in America are using Bible as the justification why Israel must exist. I read the other day, "Heil Bush" , an usual commenter at angry Arab said even the Coptic Christians in Egypt ( some of them happened to be big anti-Muslim bigots ) justify that Jerusalem must be confiscated from the Muslims. But when the Muslims quoted the Koran ?fight those who evict you from your home", the Christians are quick to say ?what?s wrong with Islam?". I wonder how George Hasaab would feel when he knew Bible is used to justify the destruction of his own homeland. Then again, the Presbyterian church has supported the divestment which is a refreshing news.
I understand Christians are discriminated in Palestine to some level. But hey, do you think Muslims are treated with equal respect in Italy or Germany or Greece or in Israel? Where was the congress outrage when Hijab was banned among the Muslim teachers in Germany's public school because it will " influence the students". People here quote Saudi Arabia to show how intolerance the Muslims are until just last month; the Greek government shamelessly needed to overturn the Greek Orthodox Church's decision to ban the building of a mosque in Athens.
Westerners are quick to say ?Christians are discriminated by the Muslims" and assume their selves to be nothing than a bunch of Enlightened people, until they see a mosque in their vicinity and their true color came out:http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1177462,00.html .This bill shows how totally brainwashed our congressmen are.
will take action,Haithem.
According to the Churches for Middle East Peace, the congressmen are using Justus Weiner as an authority on Palestinian Christians. If you'll recall he's the man who has been proven a liar by people whom he quoted in a book that he wrote. His sole purpose in writing the book was to claim that Edward Said wasn't Palestinian. I think that US taxpayers need to know just how stupid these congressmen are.
http://www.911proof.com/
This is an eyeopener. A lot of reading, but worth it.
The other side of the story that people have to read!
After reading just one half of this site I am more scared of Bush now that I was before!
This is true across the Middle East but nobody likes to talk about it, but that doesn't make it go away.
What amuses me most are the westerners who live a few oceans away from the ME and say it is a lie. Sometimes, they live in the ME but, inside gated communities and do not really mix with the homeboys to really see what is going on. Then then say, no no no… This ain't happening… Well, no s**t!!! It didn't happen to you or infront of you but what the hell do you know? It happens, ask and mingle with the locals and you'll hear the misery and horror stories from centuries up to our present day specifically from 1400 years ago. Your blind hatred to this adminstration is making you disbelieve anything they say regardless of whether you know the truth or don't, I believe now that you don't give a damn about the truth anymore. You'd become best buddies with the commies or Castro or Kim Jong Il or the Mullas or to Assad just to get even with the right. That's what you think. Your opinion doesn't really matter anymore and doesn't change much. The world is drifting to the right, like or not. Look at the trend across the globe and open your eyes to see the truth.
9/11 theories aside, no, I for one am not "mixing with the homeboys to really see what is going on" What the HELL is this statement supposed to mean? No one is talking about Ed and his "homeboys" in some American "homeboy" enclave who share an American "homeboy" mentality. If he is referring to the 9/11 victims then NONE of us here are denegrading what they are suffering.
As for another statement, the "1400 years ago" statement, this is obviously a reference to Islam. Well, yep, Islam is responsible for ALL of the miseries of the world since the day the prophet Mohammed pbuh was born. We All know that. :(
Ed's blind OBEDIENCE to this administration precludes HIM from seeing the "truth" as OTHERS experience it. How the blippity blip would Ed like it if he was hit on the head with a bomb dropped in order to "liberate" his country.
And yes, all of us here who despise what this administration has done to America and the rest of the world are secret agents of all the mentioned parties. I guess we are just all going to fall off the flat earth when we all drift so far to the right. Wake up all you people. The Earth IS flat, with no other dimension to it than what the "homeboys" know to be true. :)
Muslims desecrating Christian holy sites? Utter nonsense.
In all of my time in Palestine, I have never met a Muslim that harbours any resentment toward the Christians. The cause of emigration of Christians is undoubtedly the occupation. The Christians are usually financially more mobile and therefore more able to relocate than their Muslim counterparts, doing so out of the hopes for better lives elsewhere for their families. Since the Israelis control everything, and trade within and between communities becomes more constricted and isolated by them every day, emigration is one of the saddest realities, further breaking down any sense of an economy and community.
The 2002 siege of Bethlehem is a prime example of Israeli offenses against the churches in Palestine:
http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=220
and Christians and their holy sites:
http://www.jerusalemites.org/crimes/crimes_against_christianity/index.htm
Islam, its sites and its followers are of course not spared:
http://www.jerusalemites.org/crimes/crimes_against_islam/index.htm
Some other informational sites:
http://www.openbethlehem.org/
http://www.stopthewall.org/
http://www.arij.org/
Robin, of course misunderstands everything he/she reads and goes off on an insult distribution spree. Whatever!!!
Ed,
Sometimes, the Westerners living in the Middle East live amongst the general population and do know what they're talking about. Robin is one of those people. She lived in Lebanon during the civil war there and has a half-Arab daughter and Arab ex-husband, both of whom she is in regular contact with. Now she is living in California. She speaks from personal experience and perspective.
What's your story?
Kimmy,
I will post if/when I please. However, I am not injecting myself into this debate. I merely identified the artist behind the lyrics (and band I liked in my earlier years, I might add).
I really don't understand why you insist on behaving this way.
OK, I guess I misunderstood Ed's post. It is probably due to the fact that I would never, out of complete respect, refer to a population I lived amongst and was married to as "homeboys". It is also hard to make sense out of a post which bares the following sentence, " It happens, ask and mingle with the locals and you?ll hear the misery and horror stories from centuries up to our present day specifically from 1400 years ago." because it puts the entire blame on Islam and that is not a reasonable statement. We certainly do not have to go back as far as the Crusades to find Christian atrocities against Moslems in the Mideast. We need only go back to the Lebanese civil war in which it was the Maronite Christians, with their control over the Lebanese population written into their Constitution, sought to murder as many Moslems and Druze as possible. http://www.alonben-meir.com/essay/human_rights_tragedy89-1.html Then we can fast forward a bit to find that it was the Maronite Christian forces (Philangists) who were allowed entry into Sabra and Shatilla by Israeli forces simply to massacre and rape the Moslem inhabitants of those camps. http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/palestine/pflp_sabrashatila.html I'm sure there are more incidents of Christian on Moslem persecution.
We could go on and on around and around but the fact remains, problems against Christians in the Mideast did NOT begin with the advent of Islam. Not any one of the three great relgions here can say they have not participated in or been the victims of crimes by the others. So to pinpoint the genesis of the problem to a specific date and party is simply an erroneous statement.
My point is this, if ANY one of these parties is being persecuted by the other it is wrong. But it is not going to go away just because it is wrong. This little proposal to sanction the PA for alleged persecution against Palestinian Christians is just over the top. But the US feels it is their DUTY as the overall keeper of the free world to spit out these sanctions. The only problem is that the US has vetoed almost ALL UN sanctions against Israel and if they didn't out and out veto it, they looked the other way as Israel trucked on. Please, maybe I am wrong, find me ONE sanction against Israel passed by the US Congress. All that we hear at the most is the "US is urging Israel to" statements. So while Israel ignores UN sanctions, my Congress continues to pass sanctions against the Palestinians. One more free pass with a cherry on top for Israel.
And as for the "open your eyes and see the truth" statement, well, I'm sure Ed as an right-wing American certainly knows more truth about the rest of the world than they know about themselves.
For all you fathers out there, enjoy your day, your children and God bless you all!!
For clarification of Lebanese law, the Constitution of Lebanon has this built in law concerning the religion of their leaders:
The presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian;
The prime minister, a Sunni Muslim, and
The speaker of parliament, a Shi'a Muslim
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35833.htm
There has not been a census in Lebanon since 1932. When this census WAS taken, it broke down the population into religions groups, a left over practice of the Ottoman empire. Today the concensus is that the majority of Lebanese are Moslem, 59.7% according to US estimates http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/le.html
So here's a question I put out there, If the Constitution of Lebanon states that the president MUST be a member of a minority religion (even according to our govenment), where is the outcry in Congress over this? Go figure, I guess they are just too busy coming up with sanctions against the Palestinians!
(Also just to clarify, I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years with my own Saudi Arabian "homeboy family" ALL of whom were Saudi citizens. No foreign compound, no Saudi compound, living with the REAL local population itself with friends of ALL different nationalities who were living there in all SORTS of capacities.
Did I hang out with fundamentalists? Some were, but even they were more than accepting of me with their bedouin hospitality.
Did I hang out with radical fundamentalists? No, even then they were cracked down upon and kept a very low profile. Try going there now and see just what a seige SKA is under from radical Islam and the barricades set up to protect the citizens.) All of this is in parenthesis because I do not wish for it to detract from the intent of this thread which is "Stop the lies"
If the US Congress passed sanctions in an equitable manner and not for it's own political motive in it's support of Israel we would not even be having this conversation!
Raymond,
I am from the ME. Lived here all my life and moved within the ME.
When I tell you it is miserable for the Christian Arabs, believe me in what I say. I have experienced it all my life and still do. What is pittiful is that it is growing. Therefore, when a US congressman shows up with a proposed bill to surface this fact to the world, a person jumps out from the middle of no where and says that this is bull. Well, statements like this tells me that this person actually does not know what he/she is talking about since they have not heard the true stories.
Lebanon. Why are over 50% of Maronites living outside LB? Why has the Christian population in Jordan dwindled from 20% 40 years ago to some 3% now? Maybe our "borthern" are overproducing! Maybe. Maybe we have had enough and are simply leaving. I'll tell you a fact now. It is entirely up to the readers of these comments to believe it or not. Most of my family have immigrated to secular states in the west and those who didn't are in process. Let me see now… Is it just jobs reserved for non-infidels! Maybe. Is it hatefull sometimes violent speeches every Friday noon that preach against me, my wife and my daughter! Listen well to these Fridays. They "pray" to see me 6 feet under with my throat slit the good old way of butchering. And guess what, the fellow who would do it gets to go to heaven, drink rivers of wine and gets to date 70 virgins. What a deal! Maybe! I can go on for pages Robin but I have to run to work. You lived for 5 years in the ME Robin?. Congradulations. You think you know the ME? It seems not. So spare me…
Ed,
It sounds like you are suggesting that the views of Middle Easterners are not monolithic?
Hmm?
This is dangerous thinking! ;-)
Ed,
Thank you for sharing your story. I will consider myself corrected in my thinking to the extent that I know now you speak from your own experiences. I do not doubt that Christians have been discriminated against, in Lebanon, and elsewhere. My own experience in the ME is that some Christians hold prejudices against Muslims, and some Muslims hold prejudices against Christians. I have not experienced any Muslim crimes against Christians, any hatred. I do know the history of the Maronite Christians in Lebanon, and its bloody episodes during the war there. My experience in Palestine is that the Muslims treat the Christians well and are neither inciting violence against them, nor desecrating their holy places. I know that it is pure propaganda.
The only perspective that any one is speaking from when they make "I" statements is their own. "I" come on this blog to speak from MY OWN experiences. I have NEVER said anywhere on this blog that all Muslims treat everyone nice. That would be about the stupidest statement that anyone would ever make. But it would conversely be a stupid statement to say that anyone from ANY religion or nationality is all nice or all nasty. Sorry, but that is just a fact. Ed, if you have had bad experiences and you share them with us who would I be to say they are not true? But on the flip side of that if I share my own personal experiences and they were good ones, they seem to make you very uneasy. If I state academic FACTS implicating Christian on Moslem atrocities that really sets you off. So just to make it clear, we could go round and round and round about those facts and we in fact do, that is GOOD to discuss those things but we also need to realize there are other possibilities out there to changing this age long impasse. No where here, Phiip and Ed have I said that ALL Moslems are the nicest people on Earth. I have said that the Moslems and Arabs that "I" know, have met, are my family and my friends are the nicest people I know. Period. If that makes you uneasy Ed because your experience is different I don't know what to say. But up to this point you have not shared your personal perspective with anyone here but rather have come on to attack me and my positive viewpoint from MY experience. So now that you have come out and shared with us that you are a Christian Arab living there I now understand and would NEVER try to dispute your own experience that you are living through. If you think that I am naive to radical Islam you are sorely mistaken. If you think that I am not fully aware of what these people have as intentions, again, you are sorely mistaken. If you think that I don't know what the Imams shout out and what is taught in the schools, you are once more sorely mistaken. And lastly, if you think that I don't think that RADICAL Islamists have intentions to slit your throat and mine if given the chance, you are VERY sorely mistaken. Now I HOPE you understand that I am not here to undermine anything that you share with us from your own personal knowledge that is FACT and personal experience I will say this:
There is NEVER only one perspective or experience in any situation. I recognize FULLY that there are women out there who have married Middle Easterners and had HORRIFIC experiences. In fact, they are on the lecture circuit constantly. They are Western women and their experiences ARE very real. My heart bleeds for what they have gone through. But guess what, their experience is NOT the only one that is real. Just like your's, Ed, is not the only one that is real. There is absolute hatred among the different parties to the conflict in the Middle East. I PERSONALLY have have had guns pointed in my car at militia checkpoints in Lebanon by BOTH Moslems and Christians. But during all those times I was with my MOSLEM family who would have protected me with their own lives. That is REAL. I still have a loving relationship and close contact with my ex-inlaws after TWENTY-FIVE years of divorce. THAT, please read clearly, THAT is my perspective. Furthermore, I am offering it as an example of what IS possible when you get RATIONAL parties together. Parties who are not so steeped in hatred or fear of the other that it precluedes them from dialog or in my PERSONAL case love for each other. I hate to tell you this Ed but if you are Arab, just because you are Christian it would not save you from the bigotry against Arabs in my country. No one checks your religious affiliation before they pass judgement on you for being Arab. No, once again I am NOT saying you are absolutely going to experience this on an everyday basis should you come here, but I assure you, you WILL experience it here. There is hatred and suspicion enough to go around in this world. There are atrocities enough committed by ALL religions to go around. But that will NEVER keep me from speaking about my own positive experience and the reality that there are MANY others like me who ARE Christians and who HAVE had loving acceptance with no strings attached by Moslems.
The lebanese situation is totally irrelevant. and besides the lebanese constitution the president has to be a christian.
if thats not discrimination about their muslim/other christian sects I dunno what it is.If anything the lebanese muslims do not have a strong uphold in the lebanese politics (with the exception of hizballah)nor the lebaese media.So i do not really see how christians are discrminated there in anyway.
About Palestinian christians.NO one and I mean no one should ever try to question these guy's nationalisim.try Edward said, george habash and many many more who have proven their ultimate loyalty toward the palestinain cause.
There have been some tensions between between muslims and christians in Palestine. but henerally speaking things are ok .
Yes its very heartwrenchig that palestinians christians have drow
ve in large numbers out of the holy land.
I hope they all majorily return.They are a very distinctive and an important part in the overalll palestinian society texture and history.
I hate it when isralis and americans play the christian card.
They ovviously know absloutely nothing about palestinian christians .
"I hate it when isralis and americans play the christian card."
Thank you Yasse, that is EXACTLY what I was trying to say in my above posts. I brought up Lebanon because of the horrific situation that the Palestinians AND the other Moslems have had to endure there at the hands of the Maronite Christians. The border between southern Lebanon and Israel is a murky one, with Israel actually occupying that territory for a period of time. The Israeli's still cross over with impunity. If there ARE problems being experienced by Palestinian Christians in Palestine at the hands of their fellow Moslem Palestinians that is WRONG. But the preponderance of evidence that I have read seems to say these are isolated incidents. If Ed has had different experiences I for one would like to hear them WITHOUT alot of hyperbole against Moslems at large.
All Christian churches and congregations thank the Saudi Arabian Governement and the other Muslim ethical and respected regimes for strictly forbiding the errection of churches and for their steadfast prohibition of Christian worship.
No one here is defending Saudi Arabia.Its hardly an ideal state.
Saudi arabia is like israel a truely religious state. in the ugly sense of the word of course.
The truth surfaces. Zionists started the rumour.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak03.html
G'day people,
As a strict outsider from the region looking in, I can't really condone the Israeli 'defence forces' thuggery, nor statements by Israeli Ministers like 'If we can't have peace, then neither can Lebanon'.But what really scares me Is the lack of coverage of events or blatent bias against The arab peoples whos homes are been destroyed, and freinds/family members , and even their very infrastructure of there cities, In western media, Ultimately I think it would work in greater favour, as hard as it may seem, Is to not provide the Israelis with any more propaganda, for the western media. Yes they definately do over cover Israeli losses and almost ignore Arab suffering in the media over here!
It may seem ludicrous coming from one such as me, too perhaps mention mass unarmed peaceful demonstrations?
with no weapons and/or stone throwing with representatives from all religious denominations, I believe coverage of such an event, would stike a far more damaging blow against the militant zionists than 1 million unguided rockets. Because I can assure you Israle has learned that the Pen is far mightier than the sword, as evidenced in their, various treaties, protocols and alliances since there nations inception. For starters was not Israel founded after one of the worlds largest terror attacks?(king david hotel bombing)But can you even find a mention of it in available media today?
Sorry I think i'm starting too ramble on, nice rap song too !
Loads of love Tristan
{ 4 } Trackbacks
Stop the lies in Congress regarding Palestinian Christians On June 15th, 2006, from Sabbah's Blog
The Palestinian American Federation Please send to all on your list. To join the Federation click here Act now to stop the lies in Congress regarding Palestinian Christians. They must not succeed in dividing our peoRead the rest
"Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Joseph Crowley (D-NY) are soliciting cosponsors for a bill addressing ?the systematic destruction? of the Palestinian Christian community by the Palestinian Authority (PA)."
[...] dy should give even you enough examples – and compare that with the Muslim denials such as Typical Muslim denials quote [...]