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Ammar Awad / Reuters
Christian worshipers visit the Church of the Nativity, revered as the site of Jesus' birth, in the Bethlehem on March 14. Despite the city's importance to Christianity, practitioners are a small minority there.
News analysis
JERUSALEM — Bethlehem was a late addition to President Barack Obama’s schedule in Israel and the West Bank, and it focuses attention on another of the region’s appellations: the Holy Land.
The Church of the Nativity on Manger Square may be close to the Christian president’s heart, even while he has taken great care to talk of the common bonds that unite the monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Nasser Shiyoukhi / AP, file
Palestinian Muslims take part in Friday noon prayers in Manger Square, outside the Church of Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus.
But as throughout his trip, what Obama does not see in the town may tell more than what he does. Bethlehem is a mirror of the region, where rapid and relentless change threatens Christians themselves.
The American leader will be warmly welcomed officially, but on the streets the story is different. Bethlehem has been seething ever since it was announced that Obama would visit. Palestinian political activists were furious when the municipality removed a statue in Manger Square that showed Palestine without Israel and fought contractors to keep it in place.
Obama posters have been defaced, American flags burned and activists set up a protest tent on the edge of town to show how Israel can build homes there but Palestinians can’t.
What Obama will not be able to avoid on the 10-minute drive from Jerusalem is the wall, more than 20 feet high, that cuts Bethlehem off from Jerusalem. As he is driven through the gate into Bethlehem — a gigantic roadblock cut into the concrete security barrier —and past the walls he will read the graffiti cursing Israel and calling for a Palestinian state.
Religion and politics here are sometimes indistinguishable.
Although Bethlehem is probably the most famous Christian place-name, celebrated in hymn and prayer, today it is no longer a Christian town. In 1950, 80 percent of the population was Christian. Today, 80 percent is Muslim. There are far more mosques than churches.
The image that best describes this is just on the other side of Manger Square from the Church of the Nativity, venerated by Christians as the site where Jesus was born. The main mosque, the Mosque of Omar, stands there, the muezzin’s call to prayer echoes across the rooftops, competing with the peel of the bells from the church across the square.
President Barack Obama on Thursday urged the Israeli people to put themselves in the shoes of Palestinians and recognize their "right to self-determination, their right to justice." NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
So many of the faithful answer its call that at the week’s main prayers, Friday midday, they don’t all fit in the mosque and flow out into Manger Square, covering part of it.
The cause is partly a higher birth rate among Muslims than Christians, according to figures from the Palestinian and Israeli statistics bureaus. Figures from the agencies show that Muslim women in the West Bank were likely to have 3.8 children during their lifetimes, compared with 2.1 for Israeli Christians. Also it is partly because Christians seek a better life far away from the turbulent struggle between Jews and Arabs for control of their land. Although many Christians say this is their struggle too, the proportion of people emigrating is much higher among Christians than Muslims or Jews. Only about 2 percent of the region's population today is Christian.
Obama’s visit though will not focus attention solely on the birthplace of Jesus but on the plight of Christians across the whole Middle East.
A report last year by the British think tank Civitas said that Christianity was at risk of being wiped out in the biblical heartland because of "Islamic oppression" and estimated that up to two-thirds of Christians had emigrated or been killed in the past century. They continue to be particularly persecuted in predominantly Muslim countries, not only in the Middle East but worldwide, according to the study.
Obama is on a mission to help bring peace to the Holy Land and may indeed find a moment of personal peace and prayer in the Grotto of the Nativity beneath the stone floor of the church. If he has any time to reflect at all, it must be that peace here is still a distant dream worth pursuing.
Martin Fletcher is the author of "The List,""Breaking News" and "Walking Israel."
Related:
'Not welcome': Disappointment greets Obama on West Bank visit
'People turned on Christians': Persecuted Iraqi minority reflects on life after Saddam
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When is someone going to finally understand that when Palestinians demanded independent statehood, the old territorial solution which has already festered all of these years automatically became null and void, because there simply isn't enough territory on the table for a viable autonomous Palestinian homeland which Palestinians can call their own. With a birth rate of 3.8 for Muslim women in the West Bank, how long do you really think it will be before they are completely out of room? If they create an independent Palestinian homeland from the territory being considered right now, it will only become a very dangerous ticking time bomb within a decade or two. Most of the children won't have any future there, so many of them will only grow up to become suicide bombers seeking martyrdom. - Rick Carter
How many times do I have to warn our world that all three of these viral program "End Time" religions known as the Abrahamic religions were covertly installed into our emerging human world by outside offensive totalitarian ETs, who repeatedly masqueraded as Divinity from on high in the process of serially installing all three of these terminal religious belief systems into our world? These ETs are hoping to thwart mankind's successful emergence as a full fledged member of our greater galactic community, in the hopes of one day stealing and annexing our extremely valuable celestial real estate. These ETs want to use their (now) eminent domain rights of military intervention in our sector of the Milky Way galaxy to militarily move in on our world and solar system and take them over, under the guise of the returning Christ or Messiah (or Mahdi, whichever the case may be), once they have succeeded in eventually crashing and exploding our emerging human world in a final programmed cataclysm of global warfare fueled with WMDs, known as the Christian Apocalypse or World War III. These ETs were forced to take this covert approach at territorial conquest in our sector of the Milky Way galaxy, because there are Free Galaxy powers which reside elsewhere in our Milky Way galaxy, who currently stand in the way of overt military conquest on a stellar level. All three of the viral Abrahamic religions are key biocybernetic warfare components of a larger ET designed PWMD, or Program Weapon of Mass Destruction, which in turn is modeled after a number of very dangerous concepts, including a thermonuclear device, an immune compromizing viral infection, and a black hole. It is absolutely vital to mankind's future here on Earth that they begin reforming or editing these dangerous program "End Time" religions right now, before it is too late. With rare exception, these competing virulent and mutagenic Human Software Viruses (HSVs) all advocate the future establishment of a global totalitarian theocratic kingdom perpetually ruled by a supreme demigod dictator (known as the Christ or Messiah (or Mahdi)) as our future New World Order. Mankind has very little time left to save itself from the "End Time" ravages of these dangerous terminal religious belief systems, which are all battling each other for future totalitarian theocratic dominance in our emerging human world. Please listen, everyone, before it is too late! - Rick Carter
Your flight back to Mars is leaving. Better hurry !!!
The real question is how long will Obama's Mecca trip be and will this be a first pilgramage?
He's very funny.
Maybe a new writer for the Tonight Show?
Seven2Seven, probably not as long as you have had your head up your a$$.
The truth hurts I guess Chuckie.
Just because you say it doesn't mean it's true. So the truth don't hurt - your truth seven2seven is a lie. Our President is a christian. A known fact.
Really !!!!
Did I miss the weekly video of him attending Church???
Get REAL and please stop drinking the Koolaide.
Fred,
We never see him leading either, yet you believe he his the president, right?
makes you wonder why this site only has a thumbs up button...guess it would take up too much memory to have a thumbs down button...and for the liberal conscience, negativity is a bad thing...here is your participation trophy so you don't feel left out or insecure for coming in last place...
When I saw the headline, I knew it wouldn't take long before some meatball started with the "Obama is a Muslim" nonsense. Congrats Seven - you get the idiot-living-in-denial award of the day.
I suppose you still think the Iraq war horror show was a good idea and that tax breaks for the super rich create jobs.
I knew it would not take long for all the Welfare receivers waiting for a Springer audition to go on the defensive. Upset, you get the toothless and wish the minimum wage was passed award................
It looks like we are in big mess in the Middle East and the USA can't afford it. Well who coming to rescue this time? Nukes are cheap, but there's the aftermath. Make more enemies so you all do the math.
I predict that in less than forty years there will be no Christians in the Middle East and Muslims will be in charge of our most Holy Sites, the ones they haven't burnt down and build a Mosque on top of it. This will not happen because of faster birth rate for Muslim women compared to Christian women ,like this Politically correct story states, it will be because Christians have been Killed and run out by the Muslims they live with. Does anyone believe that Bethlehem went from 80% Christian to 80% Muslim in just 60 years because of Birth Rate difference, If you believe that crap , I have some ocean front property in Arizona for sell, you might be interested in it.
They already are in charge of most of the Holy sites in the Middle East.
To respond to your remark - yes, we missed the ocean front property when we purchased Arizona, didn't we. Mexico got that sliver of prime real estate.
I think that the Middle East wanted some attention so they decided to drag their religious warfare here to the United States hoping that we'd send our troops over to reconstruct their little nations for free.
Voila!
We did.
Thanks to Bush and Obama.
Don't blame the troops. They were following orders from the Commander-in-Chief.
So, truly, on this day, I am more concerned about Americans than civilians in the middle east and this is appropriate.
I wish our public officials would as well.
Joe,
I went to Bethlehem last year and we had a guide to show us around. It took him an hour before he would admit to being Christian because if he makes it too known he will be forced to leave, and he told us the Christian population is closer to 10% than what was quoted in the article.
what is the non-violent way to over throw a society or government? population growth...it is happening there and is already happening here... kick out babies taught with the same ideology and with the help of government assistance (welfare) and within a couple of generations... poof...Muslims are doing it in every country that they have been allowed to migrate... hope you like felafel's you infidel
That morphine burnt your brain up
"A report last year by the British think tank Civitas said that Christianity was at risk of being wiped out in the biblical heartland because of "Islamic oppression" and estimated that up to two-thirds of Christians had emigrated or been killed in the past century. They continue to be particularly persecuted in predominantly Muslim countries, not only in the Middle East but worldwide, according to the study."
The hypocrisy of the muslims truly knows no bounds. These animals will erect a mosque wherever they please, but will not allow even a single Christian church in any of those countries with muslim majorities. If they did, they would persecuted strongly by these thugs.
Interesting how this forum seems to ignore the article's quote "A report last year by the British think tank Civitas said that Christianity was at risk of being wiped out in the biblical heartland because of "Islamic oppression"". Israel is the ONLY place where Christianity is thriving and growing in the Middle East. Try practicing Christianity in Saudi Arabia! And I agree this site does seem to have an anti-Israel bias.
Let's look at Morphine Carnival's diatribes from another perspective.
While he believes he is defending Christiandom from the Jews, what he really has done was laid out a chronological history of the persecution of the Jews, a concept many wish to ignore. Read them again and perhaps you will understand why Jews and Israeli's, in particular, live in constant fear.
It is also quite clear by reading may of these posts, there is a new rise of anti-semitism cloaked in different ways. I fear it is not just the "economics" of the financial support the US gives Israel, but has deeper roots in classic anti-Semitism. "The Jews this, the Jews that." Additionally witness the new crop of Holocaust deniers. Trust me, that was not a Hollywood movie. Ever see numbers tatooed in someone's arm. I saw my first one at five when I met my "grand-relatives" for the first time. Again, trust me, it wasn't like "Mom" or "Harley."
The support of the Palestineans also puzzles me to a great extent. While many complain about illegal aliens and what they are doing to our country, no one seems to care that Hamas and other terrorist groups are dedicated to killing Jews. While I acknowledge this is amenable to many here, it is a hypocritical stance.
Additionally, do you really believe if Israel were to give in on all demands made on it, the "problem" will go away?
Not likely, as the desire to kill Jews, as witnessed by Hamas and the current leadership of Iran and other countries, is an underlying and pervasive thread that will not go away regardless of how much land or what kind of "two-state" solution is brokered. While you pity the underdog, as always, it is really the threatened you cast as the catalyst. How much does the Arab world want peace if they fire rockets into Israel while their chief negotiator (obama) is in Israel. How much do the Iranians want peace when they threaten to flatten Tel Aviv?
Frankly, I would prefer the US allow to Israel to seek its own solution to these problems. You will shortly see that Israel will not play the part of the aggressor. The second the world walks away from Israel, the rockets will start coming in and you will blamce Israel for killing people in retaliation. If this is what you want, then perhaps you will get your wish. But...be careful what you wish for.
The last paragraph of Martin Fletcher's article is so true. So much possibility and yet for so many almost an impossible thought. It would be wonderful if all could get along and agree on a permanent place for all to live and practice their faith. Because of the importance of the region and Holy sites, I have hope that they will survive for all believers.
Obama in Jordan now. He working on another Nobel prize ?
That, maybe, or just one more thing to blame on Bush.
Jordan is Israel's closest ally in the Middle East and is essential to create a two-state peace agreement.
Not only are you uninformed, but you berate Obama on EVERYTHING! Give the guy a break. I didn't agree with most of Bush's policies, but I gave him the respect he deserves as President and gave him credit when it was due. Obama is here to stay, and by the way things are shaping up (because of you narrow-minded fools), it looks like it will be a cake-walk for Hillary in 2016.
I don't care if you are Jew, Christian, Muslim or "other"...don't F with me and I won't F with you...
I thought the same thing! Check out the Bill Maher/Donald Trump birther feud. It's hilarious and pretty much sums up how incredibly stupid the birthers are.
I wonder what they'll say about Ted Cruz being born in Canada... I sense some more hypocrisy coming from the right-wing dbags.
Jordon dosen't want him there....they know he is just a community aggaitor...I find it funny that this article said that Obama is a Christian....I think his last trip to the Middle East...he said America is-not a Christian nation...one thing for sure....he is a muslim...not a christian...
Barack Hussein Obama....from dreams of my father.....I will stand with the muslims....maybe you lefties should read some of your King Obama's books....
factcheck.org has it. That quote was a complete fabrication. Sit down and shut up
Yeah...just like Obama is a christian....complete fabrication....so you sit down & stfu....
You first
FULL QUESTION
Can you guys provide some context to this e-mail. Not sure if you have already but thought I would pass it along. Thanks.
FULL ANSWER
Anyone looking for Barack Obama’s real sentiments about whites, blacks and Muslims won’t find them in this scurrilous collection of falsified, doctored and context-free "quotations." The e-mail claims to feature words taken from Obama’s books, "The Audacity of Hope" (2006) and "Dreams from My Father" (1995, republished in 2004). But we found that two of the quotes are false, and others have been manipulated or taken out of context.
We have received many inquiries about this from readers whose suspicions were aroused, with good reason. Aside from the fact that the e-mail incorrectly cites the title of Obama’s book as "Dreams of My Father," rather than "Dreams from My Father," you may have noticed that none of the quotes in this e-mail contain page references. This should be a sign to any reader that the author is trying to pull a fast one, betting that you won’t take the time to read through all 806 pages of Obama’s books to get to the facts.
False Quotes
We’ll take these supposed Obama quotes one at a time, starting with the ones that are simply false. The first has Obama confessing to a "sense of grievance" and "animosity" toward whites.
The Obama campaign states that this quote does not appear in Obama’s book "Dreams from My Father." We carefully looked through that book, as well as "The Audacity of Hope," and found nothing similar. The popular urban legends reference site Snopes.com comes to the same conclusion. Snopes also notes that a similar quote does appear in an unfavorable review of "Dreams from My Father" that was published in the March 2007 issue of The American Conservative. But the words are those of the reviewer, Steve Sailer, not Obama.
We find that this e-mail takes the personal opinion of a conservative author and falsely presents it as a confession by Obama.
A second false quote has Obama saying he would "stand with the Muslims," words that don’t appear in his book. What he actually said is that he would stand with American immigrants from Pakistan or Arab countries should they be faced with something like the forced detention of Japanese-American families in World War II:
Obama did not say he would side with "the Muslims," which could easily be read as meaning he would side with the world’s Muslim population even if it meant working outside the best interests of the United States. He said he would side with "them," referring back to his mention of immigrant communities and specifically to "Arab and Pakistani Americans." Furthermore, he was speaking of an "ugly direction" like the mass internment of Japanese Americans.
This false quote goes hand in hand with the equally false rumor that Obama is a Muslim.
Did you personally read his book, yes or no?
Still no answer? One tends to result to personal attacks or ignores a question all together when they know they are wrong but refuse to concede, so I'll take it as the latter.
It's typical Dana, whenever you hit one of these people that just regurgitate stuff they've heard with actual fact they tend to disappear.
People learn to get the facts for yourself, stop believing what you hear from everyone else. Stop being so lazy and read stuff.
Some of the stuff is hard to read, i.e. Affordable Care Act, but if you take the time you'll actually have some facts to base YOUR own opinion on instead of just adopting someone else's opinion based on what they said or wrote.
BTW I read the ACA and while far from perfect, it's a step in the right direction. I don't agree with everything in it however, it still needs refinement, but is still better then what we had before which was the highest medical care cost in the world for not even top 20 quality of care.
Health care is a 3rd world problem and we're a 1st world country WTF
Heed your own advice, because that is a blatant lie
Obama's presence in Jordan may aggitate the population the way it did in Egypt and start another "arab spring" to bring a radical muslim ruler to Jordan. That may be his hope, but this hope will not apply to Israel because Israelis have been born into, live and practice freedom and democracy and Obama's wonderfully written speeches won't do a thing for them.
In fact, their government went from right to hopefully a tilt to the left a couple of weeks ago.
Well at least the Israelis and Palestinians agree on one thing.....obama sucks and is full of BS.
As the article says, "Religion and politics here (Bethlehem) are sometimes indistinguishable" and that is exactly the problem. Everywhere there is a combining of religion and government, you end up with war and misery. And to think there are people in our own country who would gladly combine their hyper-judgmental flavor of the Christian religion and government! They would be happy to use the legal system to enforce their mythology-based rules on everyone. These people are doing evil, and they don't even recognize it.
Is government your God? We are FOUNDED on THESE rights given to us BY God. Who has done more good than THIS nation founded on the simple beliefs in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. AGAIN, who has helped more people in the history of the world????
Congrats on such a nice pic by the way....a bald faithless drone for rights from Government. Nice.
Wherever Muslims live in this world, majority or minority, there is killing, maiming, and destruction of property. Christians don't live as the Bible teaches. Jews don't live as the Torah teaches. Muslims DO live as the Quran teaches...that everyone must convert to Islam or die. Once the Western and Eastern worlds recognize the danger posed by Muslims in this age of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, Islam must be destroyed or at least neutralized for the coming age. So called Palestinians may talk about peace but they want peace with no Israel in their midst. Then they can go back to killing each other because of their sects. You want to see a missing link between ape and man? Look at a Muslim.
That is why the Israelies keep stealing land from the Palestinians.Jews will newer be satisfied with what was given to them after WW2.
You are incorrect about Israel stealing the land from palestinians. The land has been given to Israel by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob forever...what about forever do people not understand? They have taken the land for peace until there is very little left of it. The Father gives a warning about dividing up His land, He will very soon be taking it ALL back, and destroying the enemies of Israel...
The west bank is NOT "stolen land". The Jews gave the land back twice and still were attacked from there, the third time they kept it. It would be like Canada attacking us and the 3rd time we took the area they were launching missiles at us. Was it illegal for the Russians to split Germany after what THEY suffered? Granted, one side prospered and one suffered, but it was their right under the rules of war.
By the way, Jerusalem IS their capitol. Granted, Abraham screwed up, but read the Bible and it is easily noted that they (Muslims, brought about by Abraham and cast OUT) will be a thorn in their side till the end of time.
Christian president???? A real Christian would not support gays and same sex marriage no matter what our whakie supreme court comes up with!When the constitution was written gays were treated just like whitches! The US has a anti CHRIST RULER.
Well this is a red herring if I've ever seen one... why do you care who someone marries? No one is forcing you to marry a man!
A gay couple getting married has no actual effect on you except for in your indoctrinated mind. A real Christian, imho, would care for his fellow man no matter the perceived flaws. IF we are all God's children do you actually think that he would want his children hating, hurting, and killing each other just because they have different perceptions of how to live their lives?
Love the sinner, hate the sin. Nothing in there about acceptance and changing of doctrine and belief.
screw idea of palistine, isreal existed until it was stolen by others jews just took back what belonged to them arabs (muslims ) should just go to another country if they dont want to live in isreal. Screw obama it would be like if native americans wanted part of u.s. for themselves only dont u think americans would put up a fight.
"Religion and politics here are sometimes indistinguishable" Pot and Kettle.
Complete nonsense.
The greatest threat to Palestinian Christians is the Israeli occupation. How about asking ACTUAL Palestinian Christians instead of Zionists with an interest of shielding Israel from any blame?
UND DER FURER
VENT..to Israel...
Und der Furer....Sprechen..
ACHTUNG..JUDEN...Ahhh.? hmmm..?...I Mean...
DANKA..For Der VELCOME..
Mein Friendly Peepholes..
I Just Vas Commen'...ere...For Some Photo picture....Ahhh..? I Mean for ...ahhh..Peace...
Ya...give Der Peace ..a Chance...Ahhh..all I am saying...?
Ahhh..Scheis... en' Kaput...
Und You vil LISTEN...to me..Und You Vil ...LIKE It.....Farchstein...? uh..ohh.? das is wrong teleprompter..?
Das ..Land ..is NICHT..for You...Das is...VERBOTTEN...o.k..?
Vat...? vat...Vere is my Golf clubs..? Huh..? Dumkoffs..
i have to Deal with HIM...all the time..
Too bad hezbollah didn't drop one of their katushka's on him.
If you are not part of the Solution, you are part of the problem.......This goes for all Religions and the NON Religious.
There is really very little difference when any Man tells another they are worshiping wrong or At All.
If you are of the Western culture you will fight to the death to insure a Mans freedom of speech, yet condemn him for his beliefs in a Higher power or his choice of how he expresses that faith?? Does this not seem a bit ludicrous to any with an IQ above that of a Primate?
Perhaps we should simply line up all the Budweiser people on one side of a pyramidal room, the Miller People on another and ALL the rest on a 3rd and let em have at it...
An Overly simplistic Analogy perhaps, but the point is....WHY is it so important to so many to HATE another over his own Personal Faith?