Bethlehem's exodus: Christians flee Muslim pressure

NY Post ^ | December 23, 2009 | BENNY AVNI

[Scanian]

The pilgrims will be there as midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity is again broadcast live around the world this Christmas Eve -- but the town of Bethlehem is fast losing its last few year-round Christian residents.

Christians are fleeing the town of Christ's birth, and the much-reported hardship that Israel inflicts on residents of the West Bank town has little to do with it. It's the same reality across the Arab world: rising Islamism pushes non-Muslims away.

Islamists frown on real-estate ownership by non-Muslims -- Christian, Jew or anything else. And though the secular Palestinian Authority still controls the West Bank, the clout of groups like Hamas is growing: Even in Bethlehem, where followers of history's most famous baby once thrived, Christians are ceding the land.

[Recon Dad]

I've been there and as long as the situation remains as it is today I will never go back. Once you cross the wall you're in Indian country.

[john drake]

And the West continues to let those “Indians” pour into their lands. Now I know how the real native Indians felt; if you don’t protect your borders, you’re toast.....

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

The cult of death hates Christians and Jews. The cult of death is an intolerant, hateful, violent organization dedicated to the establishment of a totalitarian dictatorship cleverly disguised as a religion.

[gitmogrunt]

http://www.greek-genocide.org/index1.html

[Eye of Unk]

Just wait until Islam starts attacking Seventh Day Adventists, The Amish, Jehovahs Witnesses and other faiths here in the US.

[Scanian]

I can’t wait until they try to confront that Samoan-run Morman temple in LA. The homos tried it and they were in for a very rude awakening.

[Heliand]

This is the result of not encouraging Israel to annex Bethlehem along with East Jerusalem.

[FreeAtlanta]

Islam is a virus or cancer.

[onedoug]

...which Israel and the West allow to metastasize.