Gaza ‘s Christian population wanes

ICC Note

“Christians get killed here, let alone a Muslim who converted,”

By Erica Silverman

January 15, 2008 Gaza Strip (The Washington Times) — A small group of Palestinian Christians stands outside Gaza City ‘s Baptist Church on a Sunday morning, waiting for the generator to power up. The church is cold and dark in the dead of winter, Israel having reduced fuel supplies to Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas to halt rocket fire into Israel .

Just eight worshippers are present for the service, compared with more than 100 who attended Sunday prayers six months ago.

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Life has become increasingly difficult for Christians in Gaza since Hamas seized control of the coastal strip in June. Most Christians do not hold Hamas directly responsible, but they are calling for increased protection and accountability.

“The Hamas leadership, on the political level, wants to live side by side with the Christian community, but we are not sure who is responsible for Rami’s murder,” said Mr. Massad.

Clergymen in Gaza estimate there are about 3,000 Christians still living in the Gaza Strip. Most are Greek Orthodox, but there are also a few hundred Catholics and a handful of Baptists. They live among some 1.5 million Muslims in the 140-square-mile territory.

The Baptist community, self-described as evangelical, has been a principal target of the extremists because of its missionary work, which has been halted.

“Christians get killed here, let alone a Muslim who converted,” said Ashraf, 36, from Gaza City , who declined to provide his last name. “I stopped going to church even before the coup.”

The Rev. Manuel Musallan of the Latin Church in Gaza City blamed Israel for the woes of his tiny Catholic community, which also runs a school with 1,200 students, many of them Muslims.

Attacks against Christians have been rare in Gaza , but the Christians fear that small, well-armed, Islamic extremist groups may see Hamas rule as an opportunity to weed them out.