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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| West Bank: Islamic clerics want to close YMCA |
| 2006-04-28 |
| An attempt by Muslim clerics to close a YMCA branch office in the West Bank has exposed growing tensions between the Holy Land's dwindling Christian community and the new Palestinian government led by Hamas. Firebombs were recently thrown into the office of the YMCA in Qalqilya, a Hamas stronghold, forcing the group to move to new premises. Islamic leaders have written to the local council demanding that the YMCA branch office close. Their letter concludes: "The presence of this office will lead to negative consequences.'' While the religious leaders were not members of Hamas, the failure of the local Hamas-run council to protect the YMCA is concerning local Christians. Hashem al Masri, the deputy mayor and a Hamas member, admitted that the YMCA's name alone was a "challenge to the city''. "I know it is not civilized to attack it, but it is a challenge to the feeling of our people,'' he said. The YMCA has offices across the West Bank giving work for 140 Palestinians, of whom 84 are Muslim. In Qalgilya, it provides wheelchairs and prosthetics for children. This year's budget is £50,000 and if the office closes the money will be spent elsewhere. For decades, Christians have felt squeezed and persecuted and have seen their numbers dwindle from about 10 per cent of the population to less than two per cent in Israel and the Palestinian territories. They have been overtaken by Jewish migrants and large Muslim families and have moved on to friendly countries in the West. The election of the Hamas government adds further pressure on the community. So sensitive is the issue that YMCA leadership in the West Bank declined to speak to The Daily Telegraph. Instead, Norris Lineweaver, the director-general of the YMCA in West Jerusalem, explained that the problem arose simply because the word Christian appears in the group's name. "It is true that we have a long and proud Christian heritage but it is strictly against our policy to proselytise,'' he said. "The problems arise because of an unfortunate misunderstanding about our role. We are there simply to help the local councils, whether they are Muslim or Christian, with any youth development programmes they might have.'' Marouf Zahran, the town's former mayor who was ousted by Hamas last year, blamed the new council for not doing enough to protect the office. "The council and other organisations did nothing to stop incitement against the YMCA." A local YMCA worker said Muslims and Christians should work together. "We belong to two different religions but we are Palestinian nationalists,'' he said. "We live together - Muslims and Christians.'' |
| Posted by:ed |
| #7 "I know it is not civilized to attack it, but it is a challenge to the feeling of our people,'' he said. Frank acknowlegment that that Pals are not civilized. Glad you can see this too, al Masri. What's nauseating is your excuse that "hurt feelings" dismisses any need for civility; that a passing wind that disturbs the "feelings" of any muslim is a ticket to barbarism. The very word "christian" froths the Pals to their natural violent insanity. Such behavour is indicative of incurable psychosis and al Masri indicates that civil behaviour will never be possible for Pals because of it. Arabs are terrified of them and won't let a Pal anywhere near them. They know - they built them. There is no hope for peace with this lunatics. They must be eliminated - along with the other loons who have been brainwashed beyond recovery to civil - Al Q et al. All of them. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-04-28 15:25 |
| #6 another reason not another penny should go to the Paleos. F*&K EM |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-04-28 11:43 |
| #5 "The presence of this office will lead to negative consequences." A little mixed up, aren't we? I'd say it's the presence of Palestinians that usually leads to negative consequences. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-04-28 11:21 |
| #4 "I say, young man ......" |
| Posted by: Village People 2006-04-28 10:52 |
| #3 Palestinian Christians should have sought refugee status and emigrated years ago. Christians are not safe in Muslim countries. Whether or not there are peaceful muslims, the radical Islamists run basically unchecked and will, if they feel it to be in their interests, kill Christians. These people need to realize that "tolerance" of such activity is a temporary weakness of the post-1918 West. If they push hard enough, they may force the West back to its basic nature and find themselves on the wrong end of extermination. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-04-28 10:31 |
| #2 "I know it is not civilized to attack it, but it is a challenge to the feeling of our people" Cartoons, YMCA's, women, you name it. Just about sums it up I'd say. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2006-04-28 10:19 |
| #1 Young man, there is a place you should go! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-04-28 09:50 |