This is a most positive development. Although Jews and Christians face the same fate under Islamic law — subjugation as dhimmis and denial of basic rights — the unhappy history of Christian anti-Semitism and the near-universal denial of the reality of the Islamic jihad, among innumerable other factors, have prevented the formation of any large-scale cooperative efforts. The Arab nationalist movement, which is now nearly moribund but was the dominant ideology in the Middle East just a few years ago, also co-opted Arabic-speaking Christians into parroting the Islamic supremacist agenda, out of a “shared Arab identity.” Freedom lovers may hope that the noxious idea that the oppressor and the oppressed have common interests will be forever consigned to the dustbin of history, and that rallies like this one will be the beginning of much more Jewish/Christian cooperation in defense of freedom.
“Israeli-Arab Christians take to the streets of Haifa for an unusual protest,” TLV1, August 5, 2014:
A group of Israeli-Arab Christians marched in Haifa last night against the persecution of Christian Arabs in the world, against radical Islamic organizations such as Hamas, and in favor of Israel’s military operation. TLV1′s Lissy Kaufmann was there.
A group of Arabs gathered on Sunday night at Unesco Square in Haifa, waving Israeli flags. Wait – Arabs? Well, the language that was mostly heard around was indeed Arabic. But when asked who they are, the protesters said something completely different:
I am not Arab because I am Christian and I don’t think that you can be Arab and Christian at the same time, Arabs are Muslims in my opinion, they just made us forget who we are, our identity. I am Israeli, I am Christians and that is it.
I am Israeli, I am Christian, and I am Israeli so I support Israel, I live here in Israel and this is my country.
Yes, yes I am Christian and Israeli and proud of it. No not at all, you are insulting me right now because I don’t consider myself…. I feel 2 months later I will go to the army. And I am the kind that gives all to my state – that is all.
The people that gathered at Unesco Square in Haifa are Christian-Israelis. They waved not only Israeli flags but also the yellow and white flag of the Vatican. They have been distancing themselves from the Arab population and from its protests against the war during the last couple of weeks. These round about 100 people were protesting against Christian persecution in the Middle East, such as in Syria and Iraq. Some of them were holding banners asking why the UN and the West are closing their eyes on it.
The protest was also against Hamas. Shadi Khalloul can explain why. He is the spokesperson of the Forum for Christian Recruitment, which tries to persuade more Christians to join the IDF. And was also one of the organizers of the protest.
You cannot only do only a protest about Christians in Iraq and Syria and ignoring what is happening for you here inside the country. You can see where are in war. If we would ignore this, the soldiers that being killed, the civilians being killed by the same terror we will not be doing the just way, that be believe in it, which is terror is the same terror, it is killing the same people Hamas is the same ideology like al Qaida, like Hezbollah, and they don’t accept anyone who is different from them.
The religious assistance came from father Gabriel Nadav, a priest from Nazareth who also prayed together with the crowd. Father Nadav cannot leave the house anymore without security. Many people, including from his hometown of Nazareth, vehemently oppose his opinion that Christians are not Arabs, that they are closer to the Jewish religion and that it is good for them to serve in the IDF.
One of the young Christians who will soon be joining the army is 17-year old Jennifer, who is waving the Israeli flag to the cars passing by, shouting “Hamas out”. A big Christian cross is hanging from her necklace. From all the countries in the Middle East, only in Israel can she live as she wishes and is granted freedom of religion, and that’s a reason to be grateful, she says:
It is very important because we are Christians here, we have been safe. I am not dying over here, they are not killing me, that is because thanks to Israel.
There were also Jewish Israelis present at the Christian protest. Shadi Khalloul called out to the young people of the Likud, who seem to be the closest to his beliefs, to join him and his people. 27-year old Gal, a student from Haifa, is one of the Jews who attended. He thinks that Israel is facing the same problem of Islamic fundamentalism as Iraq.
We came here to show solidarity with the Christians who are demonstrating against the ethnic slaughter in Iraq committed by the ISIS organization. We think it is the same thing there than here.
Jews and Christians protesting together in favor of the state of Israel and in favor of the ongoing war feels like a revolution. Many Christians, says Shadi, think this way. But they are afraid to speak out against the Arab Muslim population. Shadi knows that his group is still a minority and that many people from the Arab community do not appreciate his work. Which is one of the reasons that he carries a gun. He says that he has been carrying it ever since he left the army 16 years ago, because many people didn’t like his decision to voluntarily join the IDF. But the Christian community isn’t being attacked by Muslims alone, but by Jews as well. A couple of months ago, Shadi’s village, Gush Halav, was attacked by radical right-wing Jews, who also sprayed his family’s house. But even this doesn’t make him change his mind:
They don’t represent the whole Jewish population, most of the support us and the government represent the majority of the population support Christians in Israel and it is doing making many laws to protect the population to give them more rights and more freedom in the state.
This is Lissy Kaufmann, reporting for TLV1.
ZX says
All Noble Qu’far in the Middle East must come to Eretz Yisrael. From here we shall defeat isl*malek together.
Jay Boo says
No offence but.
Muslims have no more right to live anywhere in Israel than does false prophet Muhammad have a right to be buried in the Arab occupied city of Medina where he single handedly and cowardly slit the throats of Jewish men while they where tied and then raped their wives and baby children, thereby committing not just rape but adultery which is punishable by stoning.
This October in Mecca Muslims will gather in pilgrimage to symbolically stone the false prophet Muhammad for his many sins against God and humanity.
gravenimage says
Hi, Jay Boo.
Unless I am reading his comments incorrectly, I believe ZX was saying that all good Infidels (Noble Qu’far) in the Middle East must come to the aid of Israel (Eretz Yisrael).
He is suggesting that they can thus defeat the Islamic threat, which I believe he is comparing to that to that of the Biblical Ameleks (isl*malek).
But yes—his references are somewhat obscure, and hence a bit on the opaque side.
Mirren10 says
”But yes—his references are somewhat obscure, and hence a bit on the opaque side”
I didn’t find them either obscure or opaque, graven. I understood immediately, like you, what he was saying.
Brian Hoff says
You are being very dispector of the Islam religion with you wiseguy remark about they belive system.
Champ says
Brian’s writing is improving …he’s graduated into Kindergarten now! Yeah there may be hope for his writing, but he’s still a lost cause defending an evil cause: islam.
gravenimage says
“Brian Hoff”—really, “DefenderofIslam”—wrote:
You are being very dispector (sic) of the Islam religion with you (sic) wiseguy remark about they (sic) belive (sic) system.
……………………………………
Why should we *not* “dispector” the vicious creed of Islam?
Can “DefenderofIslam” tell us what there is in that vile creed that is worthy of any sort of respect?
Or is he using ‘respect’ as the Mafia use it—that is, “respect” us or we will kill you?
Certainly, that is how Muslims have treated the Christians of the Middle East for centuries now.
But the Christians in Israel are *not* treated as threatened dhimmis, but as full citizens with equal rights—and they are responding in kind with their support of Israel against the violent Muslim hordes.
That’s something that “DefenderofIslam” cannot stand…
John C. Barile says
I am–as Pope Pius XI declared so many years ago–spiritually a Semite.
Jay Boo says
Just a general comment
Yet it seems that some self-described atheists have more contempt for Christianity than Islam.
They are not atheists so much as they are smug opportunistic cowardly parasites.
Wetwork56 says
You failed to include-narrow minded, intolerant bigots. I’d bet my life savings that upon their deathbeds they will be asking HIM for entry to heaven.
mike says
This is a very, very positive development!
All we smelly, najis kufar MUST unite before our common enemy.
Kenny says
Absolutely right! This is a welcome development which I really hope the Israeli government provide support and backing to.
I’ve said as much before in that we badly need a strong, supported and spreading Judeo-Christian alliance.
Silvia says
@Kenny It’s not that I disagree but I don’t want Israel to seem like it’s the one behind this. You can bet your *** that there will be many saying that it’s a “Zionist lie” or that Israel/the Jews are “using the Christian Genocide” for “propaganda” blah blah.
The horror is that NOBODYs saying or doing anything about the genocide of Christians – not the Pope, not the various governments of the west, not Christians anywhere, not the “human rights” organizations and certainly not the abominable UN.
None of the Jew haters (that aren’t muslim) that are screaming and trashing Israel and the Jews, is saying or doing anything against this Genocide of Christian.
It’s mortifying.
WestwardHo says
Yes.
It is mortifying.
I can’t understand the Christian West’s silence to this. Churches, governments. Just a turning away, with an indifferent shrug. Like “huh? …Oh whatever.”
This destruction could likely be final. The historic End of Christianity’s history in most of the middle east where remnants of it so stubbornly persists. These are the real indigenous people there, too. And what a tough row to hoe it’s been under Islam. They *need* sovergn territory. For instance, some chunk of Egypt should be the Christian Coptistan. If India’s muslims can carve out 20% of hindustan, surely Middle East Christians can establish Christian safe zone somewhere in that heartland of their history.
Jihad necessitates establishment of strong safe places of sanctuary.
Salvato Diermoci says
You state that nobody is doing or saying anything about these atrocities’, are blind to prayer and fasting?… The media is blinding the masses who are NOT paying attention to Jesus’ words; We are the defense. It is not the apparent emotional and image saturated rhetoric. The addiction of the energy grid is for putting you in a trance-the deer in the headlight effect; It is Yahweh’s Word being fulfilled. You are just watching a video being played out created by the Catholic/Jesuit/Satanic trinity. “All souls are mine says the Lord of Hosts (armies).
Silvia says
@Salvato Diermoci I don’t exactly understand what you’re saying but if you’re talking about prayers, they are not going to help in this horror orgy.
Only real help in the forms of weapons and other ways will save people.
gravenimage says
Salvato Diermoci wrote:
You are just watching a video being played out created by the Catholic/Jesuit/Satanic trinity…
……………………………..
I have been frustrated by the wan official Catholic response to the Christian genocide going on in so much of Dar-al-Islam—though it has been no worse than the official response from *most* Christian denominations and organizations.
But what Salvato Diermoc is positing goes *way* beyond disappointment in response to evil—instead, he is claiming that—somehow—the Catholics, especially the Jesuits, are *responsible* for this genocide.
We are deep in grotesque conspiracy-theory territory here.
The places where the worst Christian genocides are going on—Syria, Nigeria, Iraq, Sudan, the new “Caliphate”—not only typically have very small Catholic populations, but they—along with their fellow Christians—are *victims* of Muslim genocide, not perpetrators of it.
That this poster is blaming Catholics for Muslims committing genocide of Christians is simply sickening.
gravenimage says
Israeli Christians take to the streets to rally for Israel, against Hamas and Muslim persecution of Christians
This is a most positive development…
…………………………
That it is—I am greatly heartened to see it!
Especially given how increasingly threatened with genocide Christians are in surrounding Muslim countries—Syria, Iraq, the “Palestinian” territories, and the sanguinary horror of the new “Caliphate”.
Civilized Israel is, in fact, the *only* place in the Middle East where Christians are safe and have equal rights.
Together with increasing numbers of Israeli Christians joining the IDF, this is a rare instance of good news from the region.
Mirren10 says
”Together with increasing numbers of Israeli Christians joining the IDF, this is a rare instance of good news from the region”
It certainly is. It cheered me up a bit !
Nicky says
I think it is not just the Jews and Christians that should co-operate to go against this Islamic ideology but the whole world regardless of race or religion as Islam is a clear and present danger to humanity regardless of your religion or even if you are an atheist. Islam is a totalitarian ideology that is intolerant of all things non islamic.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Nicky. That is why Robert Spencer works with Anti-Jihadists who are Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Agnostic, Atheist, and any other faith or none—from all over the world, as long as they stand against the depredations of Jihad and Shari’ah.
Joe says
Looks like muslims are loosing christian alliance.
Brian Hoff says
They are than tiny group with the Bishish unable to travel outside of his home without christian denotic him as than triato to the arab cause.
Champ says
…this is your brain on islam.
gravenimage says
“Brian Hoff”—really, “DefenderofIslam”—wrote:
They are than tiny group with the Bishish unable to travel outside of his home without christian denotic him as than triato to the arab cause.
………………………..
I’m usually quite good at deciphering the illiterate ramblings of “Brian Hoff”, but he has stymied even myself with parts of his latest post.
What he *appears* to be saying is that most Christians in the Middle East are for the “Arab cause”—by which, I suppose, he means Muslim Jihad.
This same Muslim Jihad, not incidentally, would oppress and mass-murder these same Christians—all one has to do is look at the plight of Christians in the parts of Dar-al-Islam—Syria, Iraq, the new “Caliphate”—where Christians are being driven out and mass-slaughtered.
He seems to be accusing any Christians who resist their own genocide by pious Muslims as “triato” (traitors?) to the “Arab (Muslim) cause”.
So as he sees it, an Arab Christian can only be loyal to the “Arab cause” if he wants to see himself and his family and neighbors slaughtered by Arab Muslims. *Ugh*.
Mazo says
What cravenmirage is saying is that Arab Christians have no right to be proud of their ethnic background, heritage, and language, and any Arab Christians who is like that is considered a “dhimmi” for promoting and defending their own ethnicity and race.
There are real ethnic Arab tribal Bedouin Christians in Jordan with roots from the Hijaz in the Arabian peninsula, in addition to “Arabized” Syriacs and Coptic Christians.
gravenimage says
Mazo wrote:
What cravenmirage (sic) is saying is that Arab Christians have no right to be proud of their ethnic background, heritage, and language, and any Arab Christians who is like that is considered a “dhimmi” for promoting and defending their own ethnicity and race.
…………………………..
What utter crap. There is no issue whatsoever with Arab Christians being proud of their ethnic and racial heritage.
But the idea that this entails supporting the very people—Muslims—who have oppressed and killed them against people who present no threat to them is absolute rot.
How many stories have we read here where Muslims in the Middle East and Mahgreb threaten Christians unless they condemn Israel? It’s very common.
And the fact is that Christians in Israel are both safe and free to practice their faith—this is not true in *any* of the surrounding Muslim countries, and Christians are facing not just oppression but out-and-out genocide in Iraq, Syria, and the new “Caliphte”.
More:
There are real ethnic Arab tribal Bedouin Christians in Jordan with roots from the Hijaz in the Arabian peninsula, in addition to “Arabized” Syriacs and Coptic Christians.
…………………………..
Of course, the only reason Syrian and Coptic Christians are “Arabized” is because their countries were invaded centuries ago by Arab Muslim hordes.
Both went from being Christian-majority to now, after centuries of oppression and murder, Christian Copts make up less than 10% of the population in Egypt, and is dropping all the time.
As for those Syrian Christians—they are being mass-slaughtered by Mazo’s own pious coreligionists.
Some stories on oppression against and violence toward the Copts by Muslims:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/category/coptic-christians
And some about Christians in Syria:
“Syria: Muslims force Christian to accept Islam, then behead him”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/08/syria-muslims-force-christian-to-accept-islam-then-behead-him
“Syria: Islamic jihadists do extensive damage to ancient Christian sites”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/05/syria-islamic-jihadists-do-extensive-damage-to-ancient-christian-sites
But it is, as he would have us believe, the civilized Israelis who are threatening Arab Christian identity…
Champ ✞ says
“Onward, Christian Soldiers” …lyrics
♪ ♫ ♩
Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before
Christ the royal master
Leads against the foe
Forward into battle
See his banners go
Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before
Like a mighty army
Moves the church of god
Brothers we a treading
Where the Saints have trod
We are not divided
All one body we
One in hope and doctrine
One in charity
Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before
Going on before
♪ ♫ ♩
Wetwork56 says
Way to go Champ.
I believe to defeat muslims, the western civilizations (note the word civil-a word probably not in the quran) when confronted in battle should include the dress of the Templars–not so much as a religious symbol, but, a symbol of what Christianity stands for–which is the exactly the opposite of what islam does.
Tom Schaefer says
Better popes would have called for a crusade in this situation. This one calls for peace as hundreds of thousands of Christians are displaced and murdered. Better countries and men would take up arms to crush the brutal ambitions of Islam in response to such a call.
Henry Law says
The next move should be an offer by the Israeli government to give asylum to Christians from Syria and Iraq. Also the Charedi who have been offensive to Christian clergy should be brought to book and punished, to make it clear that such behaviour is unacceptable and will absolutely not be tolerated.
gravenimage says
Henry Law wrote:
Also the Charedi who have been offensive to Christian clergy should be brought to book and punished, to make it clear that such behaviour is unacceptable and will absolutely not be tolerated.
………………………….
Oh, good grief. How many Christians are demanding that Israel “punish” Charedi (also known as Heredi)—most commonly Hasidic and Litvak communities? You find a number of Hasidic Jews in the US, and they have never been violent or any sort of threat.
Civilized people *don’t* punish people for their beliefs, so long as these beliefs are not a threat to other people.
I do agree that Israel should—to extent that such a tiny country can—offer asylum to Christians refugees from Muslim genocide, though.
Mazo says
The Haredi were spitting on Armenian Christian clergy, you fool.
http://religiondispatches.org/holy-spit-why-do-ultra-orthodox-jews-spit-at-christians/
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/armenian-clergy-subjected-to-haredi-spitting-attacks-1.393912
http://jerusalemworldnews.com/2011/11/04/jerusalem-priests-report-constant-spitting-attacks-by-ultra-orthodox/
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Meretz-reaches-out-to-Christian-patriarchs
Wonder why Armenians sided with Palestinians?
gravenimage says
The appalling Mazo wrote:
The Haredi were spitting on Armenian Christian clergy, you fool.
………………………………
I’m well aware of this ugly incident.
More:
Wonder why Armenians sided with Palestinians?
……………………………….
If they do, they are fools.
I condemn the spitting attack on Armenian clergy—which was, incidentally, also condemned by most Israelis
But the Armenians have, as is well known, been subjected to out-and-out *genocide* by Muslims.
There were well over a million-and-a-half Armenian Christians slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire and its successors.
The survivors today are just a tiny remnant of those who were mass-murdered by Mazo’s homicidal coreligionists.
Mazo says
Does cravenmirage mind telling us what Palestinian Arabs have to do with non-Arab Ottomans committing genocide on Armenians?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/08/breaking-jihad-terrorist-shooting-in-jerusalem/comment-page-1#comment-1097765
Mazo
August 5, 2014 at 6:09 am
Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Liberation Organization supported Armenian ASALA to wage war against Turkey and assasinate Turkish diplomats. They trained together in Lebanon.
Yasser Arafat was friends with the Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and invited him to Palestine for Orthodox Christmas.
Yasser Arafat called the Indian Hindu PM Indira Gandhi his “sister”.
israel supported, trained, and equipped the Turkish military and is still supporting Azerbaijan’s military today. While Erdogan pretends to throw a hissy fit at israel over Gaza, under the table turkish-israel trade relations have expanded immensely, with turkey now using israel as a beachhead to ship goods into Jordan. All this while their diplomatic relations are allegedly on the “freeze”.
the israel lobby in America continues to block recognition of Armenian genocide because they want to maintain diplomatic relations with Turkey.
An Arab Egyptian Shaykh issued a fatwa condemning the Ottoman Turks for their massacres of the Armenians.
http://asbarez.com/104729/leading-muslim-cleric-issued-fatwa-condemning-turks-for-killing-armenians/
http://asbarez.com/104911/fatwa-on-armenian-massacres-attracts-world-attention-despite-turkish-denials/
VI – Armenian-Arab Historical Relations
http://www.globalarmenianheritage-adic.fr/0ab/6_0home.htm
Kepha says
My guess is that a lot of Middle Eastern Christians are scared stiff after witnessing the long implosion of Lebanon. Perhaps those in Israel have come to realize that they’re a lot safer in the Jewish state than anywhere else in the Middle East.
Sarah L Nield says
I mentioned this recently to some Socialists. The great majority do not like HAMAS nor the behaviour of their supporters. The great majority have no problem with Israel.
Even the traditional Palestine supporters are keeping their mouths shut, because they of all people should know extremism when they see it.
The tiny minority are noisy and take to the streets but are laughed at or ignored by most people.
And all they could do was get in my face, and say “don’t you care about the children of Gaza.”
But people do. But they know these shrill fools are not representative of anyone but themselves.
People are starting to wake up, come round, see that Israel is the only decent country in the Middle East, and the attacks on the new Nazis, in the form of laughter and pointing their hypocrisy out, are taking off.
Sarah L Nield says
Sorry. I didn’t make myself clear. I meant the great majority of people, not Socialists.
Damn this sinus headache!
MM says
Arab is not a race, just as English is not a race.
There are white Arabic speakers and black Arabic speakers, and many in-between. There are white English and Black English speakers, and many in-between.
There are dozens of nations where Arabic in the main language.
There are dozens of nations where English is the main language.
Arabic is a language group, not a race.
English is a language group, not a race.
‘Arab’ is a mythical identity to make people think they all belong to one race, for political reasons.
Elisheva14 says
I am glad to hear that Christian Israelis are supportive of Israel as they have a better life in Israel than in all the Middle East.