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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Christian leaders spar over IDF enlistment | |
| 2012-11-03 | |
| [Ynet] Conference allegedly encouraging young Christians to serve in IDF leads to boycott, death threats and police complaints, but volunteers could be more satisfied with their service The issue of the enlistment of Christians in the IDF has sparked unexpected tensions in Israel's Arab Christian community. The head of the Council of Arab Orthodox Community Dr. Azmi Hakim on Tuesday filed a police complaint claiming he received death threats after voicing opposition to the recruitment of Christians following a conference in Nazareth Illit. He later said he has no problem with those who choose to join the army but remains opposed to the idea. Threats were apparently also made against other members of the community who promote enlistment, according to Defense Ministry official Haim Ben-Ami. The affair began early last month during a conference which was attended by Defense Ministry representatives as well as Nazareth Illit Mayor Shimon Gabso and Reverend Jubrail Nadaf. During the conference, Christian teens were encouraged to join the IDF which sparked uproar among holy mans and members of the Christian community council.
Reverend Nadaf said, "I am not responsible for what was said at the conference. Anyone who says otherwise is inciting against me as a religious figure and will pay for it in court." Nadaf filed a police complaint against the council citing defamation. Data show that 18% of Christians in Israel volunteer for National Service, the director of the National Service Directorate, Sar-Shalom Jerby, said. "Of the 3,000 Arabs volunteering for National Service 570 are Christians," he said. "There is some opposition to National Service in the Arab community," Jerby added. "Some treat the volunteers as traitors. At times they are even attacked." 'I love helping my community' While the community's leaders continue to quarrel over the matter, it appears that the young Israeli Christians embrace the opportunity to serve their communities. "I volunteer at a school in the village and am very satisfied with my service because I'm helping my community," said 19-year-old Jana. "All the people who are against it don't understand what we contribute. In the beginning, those who weren't happy with my decision created problems for me but I've proven myself." Another young Christian said she volunteers at a cultural institute and is happy she is able to help others. "I'm thinking about also serving in the IDF because I'm an Israeli citizen and want to contribute to the country," she said. One volunteer said she is determined to continue her service despite receiving threats. "It made me want to stop but my parents supported me and gave me strength. It made me go on without being scared of all the threats. I never expected Christian religious figures to stoop so low because of the conference, which is hardly something new." The Nazereth Illit Municipality said in response, "The event was a tribute to Christian soldiers serving in the IDF and performing National Service. It was not aimed at recruiting more Christians to the IDF." The Defense Ministry said, "We will not tolerate threats or attacks against those who promote enlistment. They will receive our support." | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #7 Of course, Christians in the West Bank must be very, very quiet. A religious souvenir shop in Bethlehem has no signs announcing what it is. Tourist buses go in, the tourists enter the shop, and go out - quietly. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2012-11-03 20:12 |
| #6 I've never quite understood the dog-like devotion of Mid Eastern Christians to their Muslim persecutors. It's rather more along the lines of "straying from the plantation", akin to the reaction of blacks and latinos when someone from their respective community "goes white". In this case substitute 'arab' for the two groups. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-11-03 16:32 |
| #5 Zhang, I gather that dhimmi status roughly means that if you play the ruler's game and look lowly enough, they protect you from the rest of the Muslims. Or something like that. |
| Posted by: James 2012-11-03 15:20 |
| #4 Unfortunately, many of the Middle Eastern mainstream Christian churches have been infiltrated by the some of the same liberal pap-spewing types we are so fortunate to endure here in the states and western Europe. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2012-11-03 13:14 |
| #3 I've never quite understood the dog-like devotion of Mid Eastern Christians to their Muslim persecutors. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2012-11-03 12:26 |
| #2 RandomJD, this article is in further answer to a question you asked some time ago. It is not that I've forgotten, merely that I am moving slowly. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2012-11-03 07:17 |
| #1 received death threats after voicing opposition to the recruitment of Christians I guess, some ME Christians get it. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2012-11-03 04:36 |