Anyone who reads some op-ed articles and editorials published in western publications, whether in the European or American ones, will detect an outcry over the plight of Christian Arabs and their presence in the Arab world.
There are different interpretations in Arab circles about the loud cries heard in the western media over the ordeal of Arab Christians.
Some Arabs believe that the western concerns are deliberately meant to fuel instigation, which has recently been exaggerated with the aim of defaming Islam and Muslims. Some others believe it is meant to justify further western interference in the Arab region.
However, ground realities clearly indicate that the Arab Christians are suffering and are actually being subject to abuse and displacement in more than one Arab country, where there are certain Islamist and religious groups that are carrying out acts of killing, destruction and displacement of Arab Christians from their villages.
The systematic killing and forced expulsion of Iraqi Christians are examples of the plight of Arab Christians. The same thing is now happening in Syria and Egypt where Christians are being threatened.
It is important for the Arabs, regardless of their religion and sect, to realise that there is a dubious design aimed at dividing current Arab countries and establishing new states on religious, sectarian and ethnic grounds.
The Arabs also need to know that the partition plan for the Arab world first requires displacing the Arab Christians — a move that is meant to recognise the legitimacy of the existence of countries on a religious basis so as to legalise Israel’s demand for being recognised by the entire world, specifically the Arabs and Palestinians, as a “Jewish state”.
If Israel is recognised as a Jewish state, the Arab region will be turned into rival religious and ethnic principalities that will succumb to Israel — the strongest and more influential player in the region — as the only party that will benefit the most from this partition design that will reshape the region’s geopolitical landscape and map.
Inevitably, there will be no talk of an independent Palestinian state or the rights of millions of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. The Arabs, then, will turn into mere conflicting tribes, not people of one nation with multiple sectarian and ethnic backgrounds.
Therefore, it is no longer possible to draw clear lines of distinction between what Israel really wants and the acts of killing carried out by the groups with different Islamic names. However, this raises serious questions about the nature of these groups and their connection with Israeli intelligence services. Such a question sounds logical when recalling the history of Israel, which succeeded in penetrating many Arab and Islamic organisations, just as Israel does so even with its friends across the world where it has implanted a highly professional and well-trained spy network.
Although the evil practices against Arab Christians in other Arab countries have failed, we see this is now happening under the guise of new concepts and ideas that term the Arab Christians as strangers, not as an integral part of this nation. Also, they are treated just like the minorities who migrated to Arab countries from the geographical neighbourhood, such as the Armenians.
The Arab Christians have existed in the Arab region much longer before the Islamic call and its dissemination across the region as they are considered the original population of these countries, as is the case in Egypt, Iraq and Syria.
Bearing in mind that the Christian presence in the Arab region coincided with the Islamic presence for more than 1,400 years — which is well enough alone to be a testament for both the Muslims and Christians against all advocates who call for separation, or homogenisation or displacement.
The formula of “joint citizenship” that secures equal rights and duties is not the right of Christian Arabs only and is not a “duty” of Arab Muslims alone, but a shared responsibility imposed by the divine. The Arab land was divinely chosen to be the cradle of all divine religions. Therefore, maintaining this formula will be the real test for all the Arabs on how to realise the proper understanding of religion and the common cultural identity, as well as their national affiliation and allegiance and on how to place the national and Arab interests as a priority over any considerations.
The current unjust and bad practices against some Arab Christians in a number of Arab countries are not a result of foreign interference or the intervention of traitors and intelligence services alone, but are also a result of the misunderstanding by the majority Arabs of religion, Arabism and the concept of the rights of citizenship.
The matter is not confined to the bad relationship between Arab Muslims and Arab Christians, but is also between Muslims themselves throughout the Islamic world. The divisions among Muslims derives from multiple ethnicities and sects.
If the divisive phenomenon is limited to the relationship between Christians and Muslims exclusively, then it would be related to the question of “the presence of the Arab Christians” only. But, the phenomenon of division has become like a disease that spreads to all cells of the Arab nation’s body, a fact that is expressing itself in different forms, reflecting the ethnic and religious mosaic that makes up the fabric of the Arab nation.
Undoubtedly, there are numerous reasons behind the common fear, expressed by both Arab Muslims and Christians for the present and future. Some reasons are external and fabricated, while others are domestic Arab ones that reflect the intellectual and political backwardness prevailing at this stage of the nation’s history. These reasons definitely have nothing to do with the problem of “the rights of citizenship” of the Arab Christians, but are the problems of all Arabs with their religious and ethnic diversity.
The plight of Arab Christians is an important and vital issue that affects the unity of the Arab society, as well as foreign interference and attempts in the past and present to seize control of the Arab region, divide it, confiscate its natural resources and change its identity under the slogans of “foreign interference to protect communities and minorities”.
Lack of a proper understanding of religion and the relationship with the other, whoever the other may be, provide an appropriate atmosphere for any sectarian struggle to turn all the positive things based on difference and diversity into bloody violence that contradicts the essence of divine religions.
Religion calls for unity and rejection of separation, while Arabism means integration and refusing partition, while nationalism is a symbol of the real meaning of citizenship and national unity. Where are we, the Arabs, in the light of all this?
As the entire globe recently witnessed Christmas celebrations, we recall the words and teachings of Jesus who said, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth”. This saying combines what is inevitable, through (Glory to God) as human beings have no choice, and what is a duty owed by human beings to achieve peace on earth.
It is said, to be a believer in God and his glory one has to work for good and peace on Earth. Just as in the Islamic faith, this is the correlation between faith and good deeds.
However, there is a vast distance between the increasing number of practitioners of religious rituals and the number of those who apply values and good deeds called for by divine messages and the duty to spread the spirit of love and peace among human beings.
This is clearly evident from wars and conflicts that happened and are still taking place under “religious slogans” in more than one place in the East and the West. Those who stand behind wars and strife are hiding behind arguments based on the alleged link to religions.
It is true that the divine religions set many regulations and rules to control human behaviour towards the ‘other’ and ‘nature’. However, man, who has been honoured by God, to be able to choose between good and evil, does not always choose the good and right things. Humans are mostly driven by desires not values, interests not principles and greed not morals. Each man looks at the other in a negative manner, not in terms of human values or cultural and national affiliations.
All divine religions call for justice among people and reject injustice, tyranny, greed, corruption and enslavement of man. They acknowledge the right of the deprived and underprivileged to a dignified life.
How many wars and bloody conflicts happened over the years due to differences in terms of ethnicity, religion and sect? The warring factions probably never even knew each other.
Sobhi Ghandour is head of Al Hewar Centre, Washington, USA.
