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Palestine

menneeryacoubmenneeryacoub
in Non-Orthodox Inquiries
Hello everyone,

I'm sure you are all aware of the new war efforts executed by the Israeli military in Palestine these last few days. As Christians, I believe it is our duty to speak out against violence and injustice, whether the perpetrator is a single person, or a militaristic, right-wing government such as Israel's. 

Before anyone decides to defend the Israeli army's actions, consider this: Firstly, all humans are created by God, loved by God, and placed by God on earth for reasons only He knows.. Secondly, Palestinian Christians are equally targeted by the Israelis, who do not care to distinguish Muslims from Christians, terrorists from civilians, etc. Moreover, Copts residing in Palestine are also victims of brutal police oppression (the infamous 2018 incident at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre comes to mind). 

So, what can we do about all of this? For Copts living in countries like the US, UK and Canada- write to your politicians and legislators, as your countries have the most impact in this matter!! For everyone else- attend meetings, protests, help spread information to change people's minds, donate to Palestinian charities, ask your priests and/or visiting bishops to speak on the matter, and alert as many people as possible as to what is going on. For far too long has the world (especially the West) turned a deaf ear to Palestinian cries for help.

The Coptic Church knows the meaning of oppression, martyrdom, and resilience like none other. For this reason, I plead with you to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine in their long, painful struggle against aggression and annihilation.

 As a conclusion, I will leave you with a quote by the late Pope Shenouda III: "We believe that the peace process must be reactivated, and that the Palestinian people must have its independent state and the right to return to its homeland."

May God bless you all

Comments

  • Alamanak
    I remember one time when I was a kid, a small group were bullying a certain other little kid. They had taken his backpack from him, and were standing around him in a circle, tossing the backpack to each other. He had no chance of getting it away from them, it seemed. I intervened and did something that wasn't very Christ-like, but I guess it worked. I went straight to the kid who happened to be holding the backpack. Of course, he tossed it to one of his fellows before I reached him. I grabbed him anyway and hit him a few times. I then turned to the kid who was now holding the backpack. That kid quickly recalculated the situation, threw me the backpack, and they all ran away. My point is, ending a fight isn't always easy, and with our limited intellects and powers, we may find ourselves resorting to some ugly choices. War is a failure of intellect; we failed to find a more peaceful resolution, because human intellect can only go so far. Some problems we're not smart enough to solve peacefully, even when we're the good guys.

    Anyway... "the infamous 2018 incident at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre" exactly which incident do you have in mind? If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's actually something that I am trying to learn more about.
  • menneeryacoubmenneeryacoub
    @Alamanak it's not so much a matter of intellect, as one side (Israel) exerting all their efforts towards displacing another (Palestine), even if it means genocide. That's what makes this all the more tragic- the Israeli government knows exactly what they're doing, as do their supporters in the USA.

    the incident I am referring to is the altercation which occurred between a group of Coptic monks and Israeli police. You can read more about it here: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coptic-monks-beaten-israeli-police-jerusalems-church-holy-sepulchre ;

  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    edited May 2021
    I am locking this post... Not because I agree or disagree, but because this is a purely political situation. I won't delete the post, because you have an opinion, and it is a Christian one. But, continuing to speak about this on a religious forum will not benefit anyone. The Church is clear in her opinion of wars and acts of violence. 
This discussion has been closed.