Friday, December 22, 2006

No place for Jesus in the town of his birth

O, Muslim Town of Bethlehem - Elizabeth Day

Life for Palestinian Christians has become increasingly difficult in Bethlehem - and many of them are leaving. The town's Christian population has dwindled from more than 85% in 1948 to 12% in 2006. There are reports of religious persecution in the form of murders, beatings, and land grabs.

The sense of a creeping Islamic fundamentalism is all around in Bethlehem. Samir Qumsieh, general manager of Nativity, the only Christian television station in Bethlehem, has had death threats and visits from armed men demanding his land.

"As Christians, we have no future here," he says. "We are melting away..."
(Daily Mail-UK)

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