Funny thing: this evening I have a meeting planned with a Christian family from Syria. Why are they in the United States? Because they saw their children again and again denied jobs and academic placements, in Baathist secular Syria, because they were Christians. Christians are streaming out of the Middle East because of the constant discrimination and harassment they face: remnants of the dhimmi system arising from the resurgence of Islamic radicalism and deeply embedded cultural attitudes. These church leaders dare not address that, for they know that things would go even worse for their people if they did. To try to maintain their precarious position, they become willing mouthpieces for the regime. From the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
Heads of the Christian communities in Syria on yesterday marked the 31st anniversary of the October Liberation War which was led by late President Hafez al-Assad.In their sermons, the archbishops and patriarchs stressed that the Arab victory was the result of national unity, the people’s faith in their just causes, and their determination to liberate and restore their usurped lands and rights.
They also reiterated that people who struggle to liberate their lands will defeat the occupiers for as long as the occupation continues.
The fear obligue to do many things that we don´t want,
"In their sermons, the archbishops and patriarchs stressed that the Arab victory was the result of national unity..."
Arab victory????? In the books i read the Arabs LOST the 1973 Yom Kippur war, but never mind!
I am more inclined to believe that the roots of this kind of dhimminitude go much deeper than Islam itself. The mother of this destructive attitude is perhaps the shame/honor cult of Bedouin society.
Walid Shoebat has documented the anti-Semitism that runs rampant in Christian schools of the Middle East. While it is easy for us to dismiss this as fear, or a desire for them to ingratiate themselves with their Muslim rulers, I am more inclined to believe that they really hate Jews from the bottom of their heart.
I know first-hand of a Syrian from a Christian family who one worked as a physicist in a leading University. In his last few years of working there he began to believe that he was being passed up for promotions because he was an Arab. It got to the point where he believed he could not trust anyone in the lab. Hearing his accounts of slights was a sickening display of self-pity and paranoia, we always tried to change the subject. He finally retired on mental "disability." I used to enjoy his company (when he wasn't talking about the lab), but leading up to the war in Iraq, he started insulting Jews. When I named a mutual friend who is Jewish (to see if he'd snap out of it) he ploughed right on through and insulted him too. I have never seen him since. I get too disgusted hearing him rant. He embodies for me some of the most degenerate characteristics of Arabs (conspiracy mentality, extreme sensitivity to slights, inability to blame oneself,...) AND HE IS NOT EVEN A MUSLIM!
Go figure.
Islam has no doubt played a major role in preserving this bad traits, but I think they are older than Islam.
Rublev,
And then there's Joseph Farah, Arab, Christian, and no supporter of Islam (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/).
Also, I have corresponded with Syrian and Lebanese Christians who have no use for Islam.
You are right, however, Christian church leaders in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel do side with the Moslem Arabs--and they do hate Jews. The excuse of being afraid not to take the side of their Moslem compatriots does not wash.
I learned of Joseph Farrah when he eloquently dissected Barak Obama's overrated speech. For people like him and Walid Shoebat, I am very grateful.
Then again, there are the pity-peddling Christian Arabs like Edward Said, who give scholarly "justification" to the paranoid rants of my ex-friend from Syria.
What a waste!