PA daily columnist denounces Hamas for abusing Christians in Gaza
Op-ed by official PA daily columnist Adel Abd Al-Rahman:
“The coup’s machine of destruction (i.e., Hamas against Fatah in Gaza) hasn’t stopped using terrible forms of abuse against members of Christian groups and movements in the southern districts (i.e., the Gaza Strip) using unfounded pretexts and excuses… Starting with the abduction and murder of [Christian] Martyr (Shahid) Rami Ayyad, [and then] setting fire to the YMCA [headquarters], bombarding the Deir Al-Latin [church] in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, abducting a woman and her three daughters from their home – claiming she had converted to Islam, abducting a young man from his family and forcing him to convert to Islam, and prohibiting Muslim students from studying in any of the five Christian schools… and they aren’t done yet.
The result in front of us is the decline in the number of Christians, from 5,000 to 1,300 citizens. This number is declining daily because any citizen – Muslim or Christian – who has even the slightest chance of escaping the hell of Hamas’ revolution does not hesitate even for a moment… One of the senior Hamas revolution officials said to Father Manuel Musallam after the Deir Al-Latin [church] was bombarded: ‘How many Christians are there in the Gaza Strip? Whatever their number may be, in twenty years not even one will remain and whoever remains will be forced to convert to Islam!’
What is happening in fact is the systematic implementation of this policy which is destroying the national fabric with all its religions, sectors and diversity. […]
The Palestinian Christians are an original part of this nation. No one is allowed to lash out at them and their religious ceremonies. The same applies to the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim and the other religious groups and faiths.”
“The coup’s machine of destruction (i.e., Hamas against Fatah in Gaza) hasn’t stopped using terrible forms of abuse against members of Christian groups and movements in the southern districts (i.e., the Gaza Strip) using unfounded pretexts and excuses… Starting with the abduction and murder of [Christian] Martyr (Shahid) Rami Ayyad, [and then] setting fire to the YMCA [headquarters], bombarding the Deir Al-Latin [church] in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, abducting a woman and her three daughters from their home – claiming she had converted to Islam, abducting a young man from his family and forcing him to convert to Islam, and prohibiting Muslim students from studying in any of the five Christian schools… and they aren’t done yet.
The result in front of us is the decline in the number of Christians, from 5,000 to 1,300 citizens. This number is declining daily because any citizen – Muslim or Christian – who has even the slightest chance of escaping the hell of Hamas’ revolution does not hesitate even for a moment… One of the senior Hamas revolution officials said to Father Manuel Musallam after the Deir Al-Latin [church] was bombarded: ‘How many Christians are there in the Gaza Strip? Whatever their number may be, in twenty years not even one will remain and whoever remains will be forced to convert to Islam!’
What is happening in fact is the systematic implementation of this policy which is destroying the national fabric with all its religions, sectors and diversity. […]
The Palestinian Christians are an original part of this nation. No one is allowed to lash out at them and their religious ceremonies. The same applies to the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim and the other religious groups and faiths.”