Hamas pressing for Islamicization of Gaza, bishop reports
May 31, 2013
“There are obvious signs of Islamicization everywhere” in the Gaza Strip, warns Bishop William Shomali, the vicar general of the Latin-rite patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, is exerting steadily greater pressure to comply with Islamic teachings, the bishop said. That pressure has been taking its toll on the small Christian minority.
Bishop Shomali said that with the hardening of ideological lines, a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems more remote than ever. However, he said, he has not given up hope. “I think it is all in the hands of the Lord,” he said. “If the Berlin Wall came down then peace here is possible too, but only thanks to God.”
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Posted by: Defender -
May. 31, 2013 3:26 PM ET USA
Given the past and recent history of the Islamic groups in the Mid East, this shouldn't be a surprise. The only surprise is that Christian groups in the area are seemingly surprised when they have been made to feel as if they are second-class citizens by their own people because of their religion.
