On March 12 ARD (the first German TV channel) scheduled a documentary “terror against Christians – the threatened minority in Bethlehem”. However it was not transmitted. Today “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” informed its readers why not. Those Christians, who gave interviews to the German TV were afraid of being killed, if the documentary was shown.
Read more at Engage, where I've posted the following comment:-
'Bishop Riah: “In the first place, Arab Palestinian Christians and Arab Palestinian Muslims lived side by side for the past 14 hundred years…for anybody to say that the Arab Palestinian Christians have been persecuted recently by Muslims is absolutely another big lie, like the big lie that spoke of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.”'
- from the PNA site.
And if you think that's bad, read this interview with the bishop (you may have to register but it's worth it). A sample:-
'We were not party to persecuting the Jews in modern-day times. They lived among us from 70 A.D. until recently. We became enemies because some Western powers had a hidden agenda – the whole question of oil in the Arab world. They allowed Israel to come. They persecuted the Jews in Europe and made the Palestinians pay.
'But the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was allied with the Nazis. He went to Berlin and met with Hitler, and he did inspire anti-Jewish pogroms. That did happen.
'That's recorded by Westerners, the way Westerners write about Islam. I'm a student of Islam.
'So he was never allied with the Nazis?
'He was never allied with the Nazis. He did visit Germany, no question, but he was never allied with the Nazis.'
All too many UK Christians are hearing this kind of thing and taking it at face value - Bishop Riah was the star speaker in the synod debate that ended with the passing of the infamous Caterpillar resolution. So long as the liberal media they consume carry on whitewashing Hamas, it's not going to occur to many that they're listening to someone who is effectively a Hamas collaborator.
I must admit to astonishment at seeing the bishop denying the Grand Mufti's well-documented relationship with the Nazi regime. I draw the obvious conclusions about his credibility when he denies that Palestinian Christians are being persecuted by Muslims.
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2 comments:
Cyrus
Hope you don't mind me going off on a tangent.
But I'm just wondering whether you've got any thoughts on the following re. Christian Aid's recent activity according to Gerald Steinberg at NGO Monitor:
'Christian Aid, Sabeel, the Middle East Forum of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), the Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI) of the East Jerusalem YMCA, Pax Christi and others participated in an "International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel advocacy initiative", reported in NGO Monitor's February's Digest, which took place between 12-19 March.
'A statement made by "Church leaders" in Jerusalem promoted the Palestinian narrative, implied that Israeli actions are the root cause of violence in the region and absolved the Palestinians of any responsibility in the conflict. At the event in London's Westminster Central Hall, organized by CTBI and Christian Aid, the Rt. Rev Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter said "this is not a one off, but part of a strategy of awareness in our churches."
'Christian Aid continues to promote organizations and events that advance a political agenda, which consistently blames Israel for the ongoing conflict. The biased and politicized nature of the week-long event was evident in the "solidarity mission" that visited the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem and "took part in a candlelit vigil for peace next to the separation wall at Qalandiya, close to Ramallah." Notably absent was any attempt to understand or acknowledge Palestinian attacks against Israel and the history of the conflict.'
www.ngo-monitor.org/editions/v4no8/april06.html#christian
Best,
Jonty Goodson
Jonty
I've rather lost the focus on Christian Aid lately, I must admit. The last couple of issues of Christian Aid News that I've seen have had very little on the Middle East. But plainly the campaign is proceeding by other means. We have the usual suspects gathered here: Sabeel, the Bish of Exeter, CTBI etc.
Here's a snapshot of CTBI activity - tut-tutting over torture by Israel's allies in the civil war of the eighties, before moving on to cozy chats with those well-known upholders of human rights, Hezbollah and Bashar al Assad. You couldn't make it up.
http://www.ctbi.org.uk/index.php?op=modload&name=knowledge&file=kbasepage&LinkID=534
Best,
Cyrus
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