By Tom Brennan
At first the term Christian Arabs may seem like an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. But all Arabs are not Muslims and there are differences within Islam as well. Arabs are essentially Semites as were the people of 1st century Judea. Today, Christian Arabs seem to be safe only in Israel as persecution is rampant in the tinder box we call the Middle East. Getting to know these valued citizens of Israel and their contributions is an important lesson in seeing how Israel has successfully worked with a significant and influential minority to the benefit of all. We can also learn to fact check and see the complexity of the relationships among the people of Israel and how we can apply these lessons to our own attitudes and actions.
Israel has a population of over 1.8 million who are non-Jews. They comprise almost a quarter of the entire population of The Land. The majority of these non-Jews are Arabic speaking peoples and of these are 123,000 Christian Arabs. They follow a number of denominations, from Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman to Catholic and various Protestant denominations and Eastern Rite churches. Israel is the only Middle Eastern nation where no persecutions take place and the freedom to openly worship is a guaranteed right. They are full citizens. Today’s news is always carrying stories of Christians fleeing for their lives and seeing martyrdom daily, but never in The Land.
The average Christian Arab is often descended from the early residents of the region and usually have long family histories. They identify themselves as Arabs who are Christians and citizens of Israel. They have a longstanding relationship with The Land and genuine roots here. Many are descendants of Copts, Byzantine and other Eastern Rite denominations. In other places such as Syria citizens with similar roots are being forced to flee even though they have a history as long as anyone in those places. Only Israel protects the life and liberty of its non-Jewish citizens as equals. This is one of the many reasons to support Israel in these days of threats and tension.
These Christian Arabs live chiefly in the cities like Haifa and Nazareth and usually the churches are here. The West Bank also has a population of Christian Arabs. They tend to adopt Western style dress and observe Sunday as the day of worship. Usually out of courtesy they observe Shabbat, besides their Jewish business partners are offline or not in the office anyway. Christians have been advised who are contemplating a move to Israel need to consider any of the new settlements in the controversial development areas to wait out peace talks and agreements until things settle down. Israel has an Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunity, in the Employment Commission. Recently Christian Arabs were designated as a minority to have a representative on this committee.
Very recently there has been an increase in Christian Arab IDF enlistments. This has led the IDF to actively begin recruiting from this community. This is a very promising sign to say the least as The Land faces increasing threats from its enemies. Despite continual urging from agitators to join radical anti-Israel elements, Christian Arabs have maintained a steadfast loyalty to their faith and to their country. The increase in enlistments in the IDF and the continued strength of the Christian denominations in The Land demonstrate how the Middle East’s only democracy guarantees religious liberty while having an official State religious faith. Israel has somehow mastered a task few have ever even attempted. We can certainly take away lessons from the successful and thriving lifestyles of the Christian Arabs of Israel. Christian Arabs are respected within Israel and in the international community and professions. Their churches are considered places of respect and the Office of Tourism proudly promotes this.
We can learn from Israel many things, loyalty to faith, family and Nation are some of these and the experiences of Christian Arabs are a good place to start.
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