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By Mohammed Asad
Orthodox Christians from around the world celebrated Christmas today, Jan. 7, 2015. The Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the basis of the old Julian Calendar and often comes within a week or two of the traditional Christmas on Dec. 25 of each year.
Orthodox Christians are mainly from Middle East and Mediterranean countries including in Palestine where Christianity was founded more than 2,000 years ago. Christians who fled Roman and Jewish persecution following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ fled to Syria and Turkey, creating a Christian settlement enclave in Antioch on what is today the Syrian-Turkish border.
Antiochian Orthodox Christians, sometimes referred to as Eastern Orthodox Christians, are similar in religious faith to mainstream Christians, such as the Catholic Christians. They explain on their website, www.Antiochian.org:
“The Church of Antioch was established by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas in 42 A.D., with St. Peter serving for the next eight years as its first prelate. The Church of Antioch is one of the five ancient Patriarchates of the Christian Church, along with Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Rome. We are in full communion with our brothers and sisters in various other Orthodox Christian jurisdictions, such as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Church in America. Together we work to nurture the Orthodox Christians of this land—whether immigrants or native-born, cradle Orthodox, or converts—and to bring America to the ancient Orthodox Christian Faith.”
The largest concentration of Orthodox Christians is in Egypt, where Orthodox Christians are referred to as Coptic Orthodox Christians.
Palestine is the heart of Christianity, however, as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth in the Galilee.
Although the Palestinian Christian population has decreased significantly under the oppressive violence and occupation of the political government of Israel, Christians continue to survive in Palestine, including in the Gaza Strip which is often described as being Muslim. In fact, Christians and Muslims survive together and share in the suffering and the oppress by Israel.
Orthodox Christmas celebrations were also held at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and in Churches throughout occupied Palestine, including in Nazareth and in Haifa.
For a live video view of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity and Nativity Square, click here. For a history of Bethlehem, click here.
Here are some photographs of Christian Palestinians celebrating Orthodox Christmas in the Gaza Strip at the St. Rferrios Church.
(Mohammed Asad is a war correspondent based in the Gaza Strip. This story includes commentary written by Ray Hanania.)
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photographer Mohammed Asad's photo of Dalia Khalifa won an award in March 2015 at a competition organised by the UN.
'Unbreakable' - is the photo of 9yr old Dalia Khalifa, taken at Al-Shifa Hospital on Aug 9th, 2014. Dalia was badly injured in an Israeli air strike during Operation 'Protective Edge'.
'Unbreakable' is the Grand Jury Winner in the photography competition, organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa (UN OCHA).
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Mohammed Asad's home in Shujaiyya was destroyed by Israeli missiles, mortars and tank fire on Friday August 1, 2014 while he was documenting the Israeli massacre of civilians in the Gaza Strip. He is now living in temporary housing as he scrambles to find Internet access to share his photographs when possible.]
- UN Secretary General visits Palestine, Israel - August 30, 2017
- Fadi Thabit photo exhibit documents Gaza Life - July 14, 2017
- Palestinian children celebrate Ramadan Eid in besieged Gaza Strip - June 27, 2017
“Although the Palestinian Christian population has decreased significantly under the oppressive violence and occupation of the political government of Israel”
Yet the overall population continues to Increase at a rate of 2.7% annually!
Correctly attribute the significant population decrease of the Christians in Gaza where it belongs: to the malignant, hateful and bloodthirsty culture there.
Your hatred and racism Gaian only makes Mohammed Asad an even more praise worthy photo-journalist than he is. And your racist hate strengthens the cause of replacing Israel’s hate-filled Netanyahu government with one that one-day will embrace justice, Democracy and civil rights. So keep helping to prove that Israelis are even more fanatic than ISIS and ISIL and the rest.
Asad is not a war correspondent or even a journalist. He is an islamic propagandist who is paid to promote hate and violence. This is a disgraceful article that is using Christians to promote hate against Israel when, in fact, the greatest enemy of all is islam – a curse on it and all of its perverted followers.