Hamas Warns Christians, Obey or Suffer

Ron Ross
Bridges for Peace News
Email: ronrossbfp@hotmail.com


21st June, 2007

Christians living in the Palestinian Territories have been silent sufferers for many years. Many fled the region but a few remained.

At Bridges for Peace we have been reporting from Ramallah and Gaza City for years warning of the brutality inflicted on the Christian population by the Islamist thugs.

Jewish International Human Rights lawyer Justus Weiner has been investigating and reporting on the critical aspects of their suffering for a decade. He remains stunned at the indifference of the Christian world to the suffering inflicted on "their brothers and sisters."

He might ponder, as I do, why so-called Christian leaders like President Bush hand over buckets of cash to the perpetrators of this suffering without demanding a better deal for Christians living under their regime.

Since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip the pressure on Christians from the terrorists has been heightened. The Christian community has been warned by one Hamas official to obey Islamic law or they will be "dealt with harshly."

"I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement. They recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza.

The Sheik told WorldNetDaily, "The situation has changed 180 degrees in Gaza. Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will ensure Christian schools and institutions show publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not carrying out missionary activity. No more alcohol on the streets. All women, including non-Muslims, need to understand they must be covered at all times in public."

He said, the leadership of the Gaza Christian community was "proselytizing and trying to convert Muslims with funding from American evangelicals. The missionary activity is endangering the entire Christian community in Gaza."

The violence against Christians was evidence in a bold and brutal attack on a monastery and church school in Gaza.

The Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam reported: "Armed masked men …. Stole, destroyed and burned down a monastery and a church school in Gaza, after they bombed the main gate with RPG shells …..they destroyed the main gate of the monastery with an RPG shell, and then entered the church and destroyed everything in the monastery: The crosses, the holy books, computers and photocopy machines."

It is suspected they were members of the Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, however Hamas officials blamed the Palestinian Authority police.

Not all the blame for persecution of Christians can be leveled at Hamas. Yasser Arafat, the iconic leader of the PLO and Fatah established the trend and Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) has followed in his footsteps.

Christians were targeted by the Islamic terrorists the moment Israel withdrew from the West Bank.

Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh wrote in the Jerusalem Post: " The conditions of Christians in Bethlehem and its surrounding had deteriorated ever since the area was handed over (from Israel) to the PA in 1995…Every day we hear of another Christian family that has immigrated to the US, Canada or Latin America…The Christians today make up less than 15 percent of the population."

Analyst Samir Qumsiyeh said, "I believe 15 years from now there will be no Christians living in Bethlehem."

Christians in the past have been bullied into silence by successive leaders who maintain their position by threats, violence and aggressive authoritarianism.

Christians around the world have been silent while the persecution was applied unchecked. Christian leaders continue to handover cash to these leaders while they beat the life out of brothers and sisters in Christ.

Is it any wonder we have been warned, "judgment begins in the house of the Lord."

(Email: ronandyvonne@mac.com

Ron Ross resigned as Senior Pastor of Noosa Baptist Church to become National Director of Bridges for Peace Australia. Three years ago he joined Bridges for Peace in Jerusalem to establish international radio news and an audio service webcast at www.bridgesforpeace.com Ron was Sports Editor of WINTV for 20 years before joining the full-time missions. You can contact Ron at : ronrossbfp@hotmail.com