Five Palestinian Churches Attacked by Moslems

Nablus, West Bank (ONV) Saturday 16 Sept. 06 - Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday, following remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that angered many Moslems.

No injuries were reported in the attacks, which left church doors charred and walls pockmarked with bullet holes and scorched by firebombs. Churches of various denominations were targeted.

Relations between Palestinian Moslems and Christians are generally peaceful, and the attacks on the churches sparked concern that tensions would heighten.

"The atmosphere is charged already, and the wise should not accept such acts," Father Yousef Saada, a Greek Catholic priest in Nablus, said Saturday.

Ayman Daraghmeh, a legislator from the ruling Islamic militant Hamas group, denounced the attacks. Dozens of police took up position around churches in Nablus to protect the holy sites.

Firebombings left black scorch marks on the walls and windows of Nablus' Anglican and Greek Orthodox churches. At least five firebombs hit the Anglican church and its door was later set ablaze. Smoke billowed from the church as firefighters put out the flames

In a phone call to the press, a group calling itself the "Lions of Monotheism" claimed responsibility for those violent attacks, saying they were carried out to protest the pope's remarks in a speech this week in Germany linking Islam and violence.

Later today, four masked gunmen doused the main doors of Nablus' Roman and Greek Catholic churches with a flammable liquid, then set them afire. They also opened fire on the buildings, striking both with bullets.

In Gaza City, militants opened fire from a car at a Greek Orthodox church, striking the facade. A policeman at the scene said he saw a Mitsubishi escape with armed men inside. Explosive devices were set off at the same Gaza church on Friday, causing minor damage.

There were no claims of responsibility for the last three attacks today.

"The people who did this are uneducated and ignorant," said the Gaza church's prelate, The Rev. Artinious Alexious.

In his speech, Benedict cited an obscure Medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam's founder as "evil and inhuman." The pope, spiritual leader of more than 1 billion Roman Catholics, did not explicitly agree with or repudiate the text.

The Vatican later said the pope did not intend the comments to be offensive. However, they have sparked worldwide protests by Moslems, and Moslem leaders have demanded an apology from the pope for speaking the truth.

George Awad, a cleric at the Greek Orthodox church in Nablus, said he and other Christians have apologized for the pope's remarks and urged Moslems to use restraint.

"There is no reason to burn our churches," he said.

On Friday, about 2,000 Palestinians protested against the pope in Gaza City, accusing him of leading a new Crusade against the Moslem world. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said the pope offended Moslems everywhere.

Christians make up a small - and dwindling - minority of several tens of thousands among the more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority has made considerable efforts to ensure the political representation of Christians through tokenism.

Bishop Riah Abo El-Assal, the top Anglican clergyman in the Holy Land, said today he expected his Moslem colleagues would swiftly denounce the attacks on the churches. He called them "childish acts" and said he was not increasing security at the Anglican churches in the area.

In Nablus, merchant Khaled Ramadan, who was dressed in traditional Islamic garb, said the pope's comments were unforgivable, but that Palestinians must not fight among themselves. Khaled of course was not asked why the pope should apologize if his comments are unforgivable. Forgiveness seems to be a word absent from the Moslem vocabulary.

"We are one people and violent reactions like these should not happen here," he said. But violent reactions are demanded of all good Moslems who follow the Koran.

In the meantime Pope Benedict XVI "sincerely regrets" that Moslems have been offended by some of his words in a recent speech in Germany, the Vatican said today - stopping short of issuing an apology the Islamic world has demanded.

CFPA: So the Moslems violently attacked churches over the pope's remarks linking Islam and violence?? That's almost comical if it weren't so serious. Frankly we wish the pope would lead a Crusade against Islam and if the Muzis were so upset at the Catholic church we then did they attack Orthodox and Anglican churches also? "Relations between Palestinian Moslems and Christians are generally peaceful" since when? It's the Palestinian Moslems who have been running the "small and dwindling minority" of Christians out of the PA for years through constant persecution and yet the Christians there continue to use phrases like "We are one people" and "We are all brothers" even after hearing their so-called Moslem brothers chant "First we'll get rid of the Saturday people (Jews) then we'll get rid of the Sunday people (Christians)". Will the Christians there ever wake up and start arming themselves for self defense?

To read more on Christians in the Middle East » www.falange.us/xtian-225.htm

Posted: 16 Sep 2006