Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem who divides his time between Jerusalem and Washington D.C. Aziz is a columnist with Al Quds newspaper and is the co-executive director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Aziz runs alternative tours to the Middle East with a focus on Israel and the West-Bank through MEJDI a social enterprise he co-founded. “ 972 magazine was named as one of the five best news sites in Israel” (email Aziz Abu Sarah, April 9, 2012). Click here for text with all commentaries see
Stories of Arab Christian-Muslim tensions are increasingly appearing in the news. The bottom line in many of these reports is that Christians are not welcome in Muslim or Arab countries, and they feel that they have no place there. Egypt has been at the forefront of these stories, with reports of burned churches and the persecution of Christians. These reports do touch on some elements of Christian-Muslim relations, but most are exaggerated and seek to focus on any negative aspect they can.
The Arab West Report has focused on misleading publications about Muslim-Christian relations. It’s chief editor, Dr. Cornelis Hulsman, spoke two weeks ago to a group of students in Cairo from the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution of George Mason University, where I work. He lamented current journalistic practices in Egypt, which do not investigate accusations of hate crimes. His organization tracks media reports on Muslim-Christian incidents, and sends investigators to verify accuracy and biases. They found that many conflicts that do not originate as faith-based get branded as religious conflicts without thorough investigation.
But perhaps what gives the impression that Christians and Muslims are in a constant struggle is the lack of positive news about Muslim-Christian relations. After the death of the Coptic Pope, Shenouda III, The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported on Wagdy Ghoneim, a radical Imam preaching against Christians and the pope. The Arab West Report pointed out that numerous Muslim Imams spoke positively about the pope and of Marshall Tantawi’s decision to give Christian government employees three days off to mourn Pope Shenouda III.
A Muslim Woman giving water to Christians in Egypt (Photo: facebook)
The picture above was posted on the Egyptian revolutionary ”Kolena Khalid Sa’id” Facebook page. The picture shows a Muslim woman with a hijab lowering a bucket of water to Christians mourning the death of Pope Shenouda III. According to the page, she did this for several hours. This woman presents hope and the potential future of Christian-Muslim relations. Publicizing this woman’s action will rob the extremists of their legitimacy and strengthen coexistence efforts in Egypt.
George Mason University students had many other meetings with Christians and Muslims, and both sides spoke positively about Christian-Muslim relations. The group met also with Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders. Mohammad, a Salafi, surprised the class by claiming that Christians and Salafis were equally persecuted under Mubarak’s regime. He accused the former government of limiting the freedom of worship to both groups. Mohammad’s vision for Egypt includes freedom for all, with security for Christians and Muslims alike.
But Mohammad didn’t brush off existing problems, and admitted that some clerics have taken extreme positions. He pointed out a Salafi cleric who spoke against soccer, proclaiming the game as forbidden in Islam. As a response, a group of young Salafis organized a joint soccer game with Christians to protest the religious ruling. The game proved that Christians and Muslims can stand together against extremism, and that they are not natural enemies.
Christians and Muslims in the Arab world are facing a rapidly changing political environment. There will be radical groups that want to sever the relationship between Christians and Muslims. However, on both sides, many are working tirelessly and together to challenge these attempts. Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries and have gone through many similar challenges. Coexistence will again triumph over any attempt to divide them.
Walter Sauerland responded to this on March 23, 2012
Its true : the subject of the persecuted Christians of the Orient has come to prominence lately. Without denying that there are lots of ugly incidents,it seems to me that this item has been functionalized to be a political tool.
Like in the bad old days of the Cold War,when hints to persecuted Christians had been the ultimate proof for the evilness of the Communists,now alleged persecutions of Christians
are proof the inherent evilness of Islam.And e contrario of the moral height of Israel. (You may not know it: persecution of Christians, this word sounds ghastly in European and American ears. Narrations of the heroic confessors and martyrs in the Roman Empire are an unevitable part of religious education.The term sounds of Nero and utmost cruellity) Thats why it is not so much the lack of journalistic precision but the eagerness of pro-zionist propagandists to pick up every useful report without evaluating a source’s credibility or looking into further developments of a story.Just take one item out of this overwiew by STONEDAGE INSTITUTE : Muslim Persecution of Christians: February 2012 :: Stonegate Institute.Under the rubrum ‘Church attacks’ the author speaks of thousands of Muslims attacking the church of Meet Bashar on the Nile Delta.Writing on March 16 he links to this report, dating from February 15. Except for the exagerated numbers- which made a quick career around the web – the detailed narration is surprising.The FB group Maspero Youth Union had on February 13 a rather short sensible report : “breaking news: sectarian tension arising in a village (meet bashaar) in el sharqueya, people of the village trying to break into the local church, after rumors about a girl (converted to Islam from Christianity), “kidnapped inside the church”, as the locals claim.
the people of the village threaten to burn the church, and broke into homes of Christians there, including the priest of the church.
2 cars have been burned, 2 people injured during the attempt of breaking in the church.”
“update: the police returned the “said” kidnapped girl to her parents, it turned out she was hiding at her ubcle’s house in cairo (ezbet el nakhl), her disappearance had nothing to do with religions.”
Bikya Masr on Feb 14 confirmed these details but added that the local mosques tried to calm the crowd Sectarian strife reportedly contained in Egypt’s Sharqiya – Bikya Masr.The same wrote AMAY/ The Egypt Independent Calm restored in Egypt village after sectarian tension | Egypt Independent additionally quoted the parish priest (whom they promoted into the rank of an archbishop )”The Muslim village elders made a human shield to protect the church and my house..”On February 15 Bikya Masr quoted the local head of police saying that state would take to tough measures to punish perpetrators
Egypt police say tough measures coming over sectarian clash in Sharqiya – Bikya Masr . Ahram Online’s report of the same day has slightly different details – everybody acquainted with Egypt knows that the way from Cairo to the Delta leads into a different cosmos.On February 16 Dr Hulsman gave a resumee in his Arab West Report confirming that police and locals protected the Copts and pointed out that MYU put all responsibility on the state to establish security in the village 45. AWR Daily Overview, February 16, 2012: MYU urges SCAF, interior ministry to “save Copts of Mīt Bashār” | Arab West Report Finally AMAY/ EG Independent reported on Feb 17 that a coptic coalition staged a protest in front of the People’s Assembly announcing further protest until the law prevails Coptic groups protest in front of People's Assembly | Egypt Independent I quoted these reports to show that as a whole the tale of a mob beating up defenseless Copts is more than misleading.
First of all the reported defence of the copts by muslims ( either salafis or ikhwan; in the delta both are very near! )shows that the simple Jihad! cry is wrong. Secondly : the police recognized their duty to investigate the incedent.Thirdly – most important – coptic civil society took to the means of political action and manifestation showing not defencelessness but civil consciousness and civil courage.
Note that all these reports were published before the Stonedgate report.The author easily could have checked them .He wouldnt do it because the development as a whole contradicts his aim of painting a picture of scared powerless Christians amids an ocean of fanatic mad Muslims.I could show the same pattern in nearly all of the incidents he quotes.Again : he acted not out of stupidity ( this may be a factor as well) but out of ideological interests.
One remark as to the reason of the violent incident : it was about a young woman who disappeared and was thought to be hold in the church.Wael Iskandar wrote about an incident in January which was about an alleged sexual relation between a married Muslima and a young Christian : “This is a story of shame. These are people who react to shame not honor… They are shamed when they realize they do not have control over their women.”Notes from the Underground: February 2012 (A blogpost worth reading!) So the reasons of these incidents are maybe more about changing gender relations than about religion? About repugnance of the winds of change which stir the conservative societies of the Arab world since decades? If so be sure you will find the churches on the side of the resisting powers.(sitting next to the Rabbinat)
Greg Pollock wrote on March 24, 2012
This is the kind of reporting one rarely encounters.
Walter Sauerland wrote on March 26, 2012
First of all Kees Hulsman I should say that I appreciate your Arab West Report very much since I found it randomly via ‚religioscope’ of JF Mayer in Fribourgh.( http://religion.info/index.shtml) For me as based in Germany but interested in the fate of the MENA region and the fate of its minorities, precise and unbiased, unideological reporting is very valuable.
Sauerland then continued explaining the link between US and European Islamophobes.
