After the memo that was released by the Hamas government in Gaza, in which it called for “activities to reduce interaction with Christmas,” a new campaign is being launched on social media that also seeks to thwart any activities that might be related to Christmas.
“I am a Muslim. I do not relate to God to have had a son. This is my belief. I do not celebrate Christmas or New Year’s Day. This holiday means nothing to me” is the content of a poster that was put up on Twitter. The same poster was also tweeted by other accounts, and all the comments endorsed and supported its content.
This poster, which followed Hamas’s memo, candidly reflects Sharia teachings regarding Christianity and its feasts. Any informed person should not be taken aback.
In the video below, while a tourist guide was filming a short video about the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, his camera unintentionally captured what really happens on a daily basis in Manger Square in front of the church, which is considered one of the two most important Christian churches in the world, besides the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
The volume of the mosque’s speakers is turned to the maximum as verses of the Quran are recited before the call for prayer (which is conducted five times a day). This has been noticed to be an organized practice by mosques in areas populated by Christians, to serve as a reminder that they live in the land of Islam.
The Church and the local people have been appealing to the Palestinian Authority to lower the volume, especially at dawn; their efforts have been to no avail. German tourists at Abraham’s Herberge in the town of Beit Jala had protested in the past because of the high volume of the mosque’s speakers at dawn (the mosque is located a few meters away from the hostel).
It is worth noting that during the visit of Pope Francis to the Church of the Nativity in May 2014, the imam opened the mosque’s window and started reciting the call to prayer while Pope Francis was celebrating mass in the Manger Square of the Church of the Nativity a few meters away.
Midnight Mass in Bethlehem this year will be empty of tourists due to the coronavirus pandemic, which deepens the economic scars of a town that is usually visited by more than two million tourists annually. This served to stabilize the Palestinian economy and made it better off than many neighboring countries.
Over the last few years, Bethlehem and the surrounding towns experienced massive economic growth. Tourism constituted the main source of revenue for the Palestinian economy. Nowadays, unemployment has reached a devastating level, while hotels are totally vacant.
It seems that the absence of tourists and the money they used to pump into the hands of the Palestinians have made many of them forget the importance of Christmas, and thus returned them to the usual abrasive Islamic rhetoric. Hamas’s supporters have been present in all walks of life in Bethlehem, as it is no secret that some members of its Municipal Council are either affiliated with the terrorist group or are staunch supporters of it.
Perhaps the current anti-Christian campaign by Hamas seeks to remind Palestinian Christians that they can live and survive under these harsh conditions only because of the “tolerance of Islam.”
Samir A. Zedan is a former Senior Counter-Terrorism Analyst at the US Department of State, and a former Development Outreach and Communication Specialist at USAID/Iraq. He has contributed to hundreds of articles published in major media outlets with assignments in the Palestinian Areas, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Europe.
mgoldberg says
This should be shown on the media sites that pander to the people, but… it won’t be. It would actually go a long way to making a peace more reasonable and or obtainable. How? By showing the intransigence of the muslim, of the nations that are muslim majority and the lies that are their own self deception disorder, the issues that afflict non muslims can be given a place in the discussion. Of course, that won’t happen, because it can never be allowed…… you know.
Facts.
Barney Whittle says
According to Sharia law:(the religion of peace?)
• A man can marry an infant girl and consummate the marriage when she is 9 years old.
• Girls’ clitoris should be cut (Muhammad’s words, Book 41, Kitab Al-Adab, Hadith 5251).
• Theft is punishable by amputation of the hands (Quran 5:38).
• Criticizing or denying any part of the Quran is punishable by death.
• Criticizing Muhammad or denying that he is a prophet is punishable by death.
• Criticizing or denying Allah is punishable by death (see Allah moon god).
• A Muslim who becomes a non-Muslim is punishable by death (See Compulsion).
• A non-Muslim who leads a Muslim away from Islam is punishable by death.
• A non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman is punishable by death.
• A woman or girl who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s).
• Testimonies of 4 male witnesses are required to prove rape of a female (Quran 24:13).
• A woman or girl who alleges rape without producing 4 male witnesses is guilty of adultery.
• A woman or girl found guilty of adultery is punishable by death (see “Islamophobia”).
• A male convicted of rape can have his conviction dismissed by marrying his victim.
• Muslim men have sexual rights to any woman/girl not wearing the Hijab (see Taharrush).
• A woman can have 1 husband, who can have up to 4 wives; Muhammad can have more.
• A man can beat his wife for insubordination (see Quran 4:34 and Religion of Peace).
• A man can unilaterally divorce his wife; a wife needs her husband’s consent to divorce.
• A divorced wife loses custody of all children over 6 years of age or when they exceed it.
• A woman’s testimony in court, allowed in property cases, carries ½ the weight of a man’s.
• A female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits (see Mathematics in Quran).
• A woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative.
• Meat to eat must come from animals that have been sacrificed to Allah – i.e., be “Halal.”
• Muslims should engage in Taqiyya and lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam.
gravenimage says
All grimly true, Barney.
Richard says
I am a Christian from Bethlehem, we live in a very harsh conditions because of the Persecution and the bad economic situation. Muslims theaten us everyday but the media doesn’t expose that to the public. If this persecution continues without an international intervention, Bethlehem will be empty of Christians in the very near future.
gravenimage says
Richard, I feel for any Christians living under Muslim rule in Gaza and the “Palestinian territories”. That Christianity has almost been eradicated in its very birthplace is appalling.
Infidel says
These are the same people, when the issue of tolerance is raised, point to Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia has now started allowing open celebration of Christmas, even while Gaza looks like what Riyadh was under previous Saudi rulers
gravenimage says
Saudi Arabia has loosened its crackdown on Christmas–we’ll have to see if if lasts.
Infidel says
Agreed. But my point was that so far, whenever anyone criticizes islam, Leftists point to Saudi Arabia and the fact that many on the right tolerate them more (somehow, Saudi Arabia is the only country that Leftists can criticize, when they criticize islam at all!). Yet, Saudi Arabia now seems more tolerant of Christians than Gaza, Turkey and Pakistan. You know you’re in a bad spot when Saudi Arabia is more tolerant than you
gravenimage says
True–but even then, Saudi Arabia is only tolertant (to a point) of the commecrcial Christmas. There is little tolerance for any Christian religious celebrations of the holiday.
mortimer says
Islam is at war with the most important Christian holiday … the Feast of the Incarnation.
gravenimage says
Gaza: New social media campaign seeks to thwart all Christmas-related activities
“I am a Muslim. I do not relate to God to have had a son. This is my belief. I do not celebrate Christmas or New Year’s Day. This holiday means nothing to me”
…………….
If only this were true. There are people in the West who are uninterested in Christmas for various reasons–generally, they just ignore the holiday and do not celebrate it. No problem.
But Muslims, far from simply not caring about it, try to prevent Christians and others from celebrating it–so often violently.
James Lincoln says
gravenimage,
To your point, I was in the grocery store the other day getting ready to buy a pork chop.
I had this feeling that in the near future, a muslim may approach me and say something like: “You can’t buy that because it is against my religion.”
I would reply: “But it’s not against my religion”.
And then he would say: “But my religion is the one that counts.”
gravenimage says
All too true, James.
Eleanor says
I don’t care! I’m new here, and wish all commenters a Merry Christian Christmas, and all Jewish commenters Happy Holidays and Hannukah.
gravenimage says
Happy Holidays to you!
Mojdeh says
Kristmas Mobark…Islam hate Christmas . We do not like Jihadis at all in our country.
gravenimage says
Thank you Mojdeh!
Bikinis not Burkas says
So they lied about Jesus being a prophet of Islam all along.
How surprising.
ronyvo says
“I am Muslim”, this is YOUR choice, I think.
“I do not belive that Allah got a son, this is my faith”. Fine, this is YOUR faith.
But, not becuse the extreme generosity of the ccountry you live in, that gives the right to impose your belief on us.
Besides, it is the utter IGNORANCE, with all due respect, of you, your Koran and your imamas that you alow your self to say what you said.
The following is just avery concise notes to give you a start for a research in your Koran and the TRUTH.
The Koran states: “Behold! The angel said: “O Mary! Allah has chosen you and purified you-chosen you above the women of all nations.”
Also, “we gave Jesus the son of Mary clear (signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.” 2:87
“And in their footsteps we sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel therein was guidance and light” 5:46
But in surah 5:73-75: “They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three.”
Orthodox Christianity teaches that God is ONE substance, and three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holly Spirit.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwell among us.” John 1:1,14
Trying to clarify that lets us take the sun. It radiates rays (light), and heat. Three elements in one. One cannot separate the sun from the light or the heat.
There are many other illustrations to help clarifying the Trinity.
The Christian Creed starts with: ”Truly, we believe in One God…”
Christians make the sign of the Cross saying: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holly Ghost, ONE God, Amen.” Notice in the name not names.
gravenimage says
+1
somehistory says
moslims don’t want to “tolerate” because they want to dominate. Just as that moslim said some years ago about moslims coming to the U.S. and the purpose they have for islam…it is to be the ***only*** religion anywhere.
moslims new to an area, few in number, say they just want to be like other people, to be “tolerated,” and allowed to live. When they have grown in numbers, they make it plain that they want to be, no just “tolerated,” but respected and elevated; and that they do not “tolerate” any other belief, and their intent with this is to totally dominate and subjugate the populace.
moslims in Gaza see themselves as the owners of the Land that God gave to Israel of old, to Jews, of whom Jesus Christ was born. Therefore, they make their awful screeching noise to drown out the Truth and to disallow others to exercise their rights to choose a faith.
WOLF STONEHENGE says
END THE EVIL izlam