The Arab Christians caught in the middle
Does anybody talk much about them? This article in the Globe and Mail makes a couple of points that need to be made, and illustrates them well.
One is that not all Arabs are Muslims, which may come as a surprise to many people. In the Holy Land caught in this violence, Christians have long been caught in the middle of political and religious struggles. Here’s a personal story from Ain Ebel, Lebanon.
Therese Asrouni felt no love for either side as she watched an intense firefight between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas out her window yesterday. She loathed them both for once more turning her tiny tobacco-farming community into a war zone.
Another point is one the MSM have picked up in much of their reporting, the Israeli insistence that anybody who allows Hezbollah to set up rocket launchers nearby puts themselves in the line of fire as a response from the IDF. But it’s not that pat an answer.
Residents of Ain Ebel say Hezbollah has been drawing fire toward the Christian village by launching Katyusha rockets from the nearby tobacco fields, just a few hundred metres from Ms. Asrouni’s home. The militants leave when Israel returns fire, witnesses said.
The tobacco plantations that cover the valleys surrounding Ain Ebel are blackened now, charred by fires that burned out of control. Several houses in town have been damaged by missile strikes. Ms. Asrouni’s husband Sayyed has dark purple shrapnel wounds in his back from a blast that tore a hole in their home’s concrete outer wall.
Sometimes they can’t get out fast enough, when the guerillas rush in to set up rocket launchers. But there’s another reason why innocent people, unsympathetic to the militants, are getting caught up in the crossfire.
Those who have remained are ignoring repeated Israeli warnings to flee the area because they fear that if they do, Christianity’s hold on this town with biblical significance will be broken for good.
There has been a Christian exodus from the Holy Land for a long time now, and the land where Christ was born is in danger of losing a Christian presence completely.
The archbishop of nearby Tyre visited yesterday to steel the spirits of those who had remained behind.
“We are caught in a conflict of Jews and Muslims. We have a mission of peace,” said Monsignor Nabil Hage as he walked slowly through Ain Ebel’s deserted streets. “This is a holy land. Christ passed here, the Virgin Mary passed here, the apostles passed here. It is a holy land that we must defend.”
At the sight of the archbishop, tearful residents came running out of their homes to greet him.
“Pray for us!” a middle-aged woman wailed. “Give us hope!”
There was a voice that carried that message, 24/7, into that region until a couple of weeks ago. The only Christian satellite network that served as the voice of peace, forgiveness and hope, Telelumiere, was silenced when its facilities were bombed. Their message was for everyone with a radio, no matter what their faith, politics or country in the Middle East. They need help getting powered back up again, to be the voice of peace, forgiveness and even now — especially now — hope.