Christ at the Checkpoint: The Call for Alternatives

Christ at the Checkpoint: The Call for Alternatives

Hannah Weiss, 6/jul/14 --- Part 2/3

Colin Chapman's 2014 CatC lecture was posing the question, "Can Christianity Survive in the Middle East?" Despite Islam’s depressing track record, which has nearly wiped out Christians wherever it went, his confident answer was yes, Christians can survive… if they try hard enough to “understand Islam”.

At a time when Islam is sweeping across the world, this advice offered by a Christian as God’s solution can impact believers everywhere. That potential makes Colin Chapman's lecture the most disturbing and destructive of any given at the Conference this year.

Early in the lecture (7:20), Chapman mentions that as non-Muslims living under shari’a (Islamic) law, Christians were classed as dhimmis, Arabic for “protected people”. He admits that in practice dhimmis were “second-class citizens”, but he suggests that this wasn’t necessarily as bad as it sounds. With academic detachment, Chapman explains that most Muslims in history were “moderate”, so they did not force Christians into Islam; instead they required the jizya tax (“reward” money given in return for their lives). He implies that this was actually an advantage, since Muslims who needed the income preferred having unconverted Christians around so they could tax them.

There were also a few restrictions on dhimmis, and the British scholar mentioned three: mode of dress, building churches or houses, and public displays of religion.

In reality, there were many more restrictions, some causing serious hardship and all of them designed to humiliate, so that the non-Muslims would “feel themselves subdued” (Qur’an 9:29). The following information is from a summary by the outspoken Egyptian scholar, Bat Ye’or (scroll down in the linked document to “Characteristics of Dhimmitude”):

Another shari’a detail Chapman failed to mention is the possibility of losing this “protected” status completely “if the dhimmis rebel against Islamic law, give allegiance to a non-Muslim power, refuse to pay the jizya, entice a Muslim from his faith, harm a Muslim or his property, or commit blasphemy. The moment the pact of protection is abolished the jihad resumes, which means that the lives of the dhimmis and their property are forfeited.”(Bat Ye’or, emphasis mine)

And even when the “protection” was in place, Muslim law was lenient toward violations. The dhimmis were often kidnapped, enslaved, stoned, robbed and tortured, with no punishment given to the Muslim lawbreakers.

Contrary to Chapman’s claim (mark 8:55) that the dhimmi system was abolished in the 20th century, reports of modern-day dhimmitude are multiplying. In fact, one was published in Chapman’s own country only weeks before he gave this lecture (“A jihadist group in Syria has demanded that Christians in the northern city of Raqqa pay a levy in gold and accept curbs on their faith, or face death.” BBC News) A follow-up report from Amman, Jordan told of another choice offered to Syrian dhimmis: Run, leaving all assets behind. Many have considered that the best deal.

Bat Ye’or confirms that dhimmitude is currently being enforced in Egypt, Iran, Sudan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Specific cases of abuse have been documented by the Gatestone Institute in those countries, as well as in Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, and Malaysia. Note that these are the ‘protected’ Christians who were not outright slaughtered. Other dhimmis in Egypt, Zanzibar, Central African Republic, Sudan, Kenya, Lybia, Nigeria and Pakistan were less fortunate.

Bat Ye’or comments that the disinformation given by Colin Chapman is popular in Europe; this “is in conformity with the shari'a law which forbids any criticism of Islamic law or government.” (emphasis mine)

Even the Vatican was cowed by the Muslim outrage that erupted after Pope Benedict XVI condemned an Islamic Jihad attack on Christians in Egypt. His successor, Pope Francis, assured Muslim leaders that he was ready to show greater “understanding” for Islam: the “red line” violated by his predecessor would not be crossed again. Sure enough, Francis’ own laments about Christian suffering in the Middle East have been carefully attributed to vague “tensions and conflicts”. And when he celebrated mass with local Christians during his May 2014 visit to Bethlehem, he meekly ignored the deafening Muslim calls to prayer that apparently couldn't wait until the end of his brief service (see the linked video, mark 15:40).

While it’s unclear why a free British citizen like Chapman feels obligated to recite the dhimmi narrative, Bat Ye'or's observation is extremely important for interpreting statements made by Christians trapped in Bethlehem, in the PA and throughout the Middle East: If dhimmis complain about their situation and blame Islam, or if they clamor for equality with Muslims, they lose their “protected” status and are fair game for violence or death.

As to why even submissive Christians are disappearing from every Muslim country in the world, including PA areas, Chapman admits ("Can Christianity Survive", 17:00) that it has “something to do with Islam” but says it is due more to “other factors” in the modern era. He explains that Muslim massacres of Christians today are an unfortunate mistake in associating Christianity with Western colonial powers. Change that perception, he urges, and there is no reason why Christians cannot survive in the Muslim Middle East.

The first observation is how peculiar such optimism is, since even Muslims are having difficulty surviving in the Muslim Middle East!

"Honor Killings: 58 percent of the victims were murdered for being 'too Western' and/or for resisting or disobeying cultural and religious expectations." (worldwide)

"Disappearing Political Opponents: Deceiving world about number of state-ordered murders" (Iran)

"Epidemic of Acid Attacks on Women" (Pakistan) [Warning: the pictures of these Muslim girls are horrific, but the brief explanations are even worse.]

This sampling gives us a clue to the reason why Israeli Muslims have not joined the "Arab Spring" in an attempt to replace the Zionist state with an Islamist one. Like the dhimmis, Muslims are forbidden by strict Islamic law to "give allegiance to a non-Muslim power". Standing with the state of Israel, even passively, they can be executed for "apostasy" if Islamists ever take over the Jewish state... but only "if".

The second observation is best expressed by researcher Howard Rotberg, whose book, TOLERism: The Ideology Revealed, documents the worldwide popularity of Colin Chapman's narrative. Rotberg explains that "Tolerism" is a word he invented "to explain the ideology of excessive leniency to opinions of certain groups, and excessive intolerance to the ideology of other groups." (p.2) Although it's promoted as a "liberal" mindset, Tolerism actually betrays liberal values such as justice, free speech, human rights, and tolerance itself. Noting that Islamism is the culture profiting most from Tolerism, and that Zionism is the culture most punished by it, Rotberg zeroes in on the Tolerist call to "understand" the Islamic "need" to terrorize civilian populations worldwide; it's the fault of the West - and especially due to the West's support of Israel.

The Tolerist message has been customized at CatC for evangelicals, by demanding that "Christians must understand the global context for the rise of extremist Islam" (Conference Manifesto, point 12). That is, they "must understand" the context of Islamic terror as something other than what Islam says it is: a holy war against the non-Muslim world. Where the Church is concerned, the rise of Muslim violence against Christians "must" be "understood" as the fault of Christian Zionism, which is leading the world toward "Armageddon" (the message expressed in a book by Stephen Sizer, which is promoted by CatC).

This "understanding" of Chapman, Sizer and other Tolerists - that the West can befriend Islam by changing its foreign policy (particularly by distancing itself from the Zionist enterprise) - is crushed by periodic reminders broadcasted to the Muslim faithful, such as this 2013 sermon in Pakistan on "Standards of Friendship and Enmity in Islam," translated by MEMRI:

As the silence of Tolerist leaders and media grows, Arab Christians in our region are becoming desperate enough to break the silence of the dhimmi. The Christians in northern Sinai (towns that were under Israeli rule until the land-for-peace deal with Egypt in 1979) are reporting atrocities while on the run. “All Christians in Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed have left, as have most of the Christians of Arish, sources said.” (Christians Flee Villages in Egypt’s North Sinai after Terrifying Murders, Morning Star News) Their tormentors are not only Egyptian Muslims but also Palestinian Muslims, who cross from Gaza into territory where neither Western colonialism nor Israeli 'occupation' can explain their brutality.

Incidents provoking this Sinai exodus have included the gruesome murder-mutilation of a leading Christian businessman, torching of Christian buildings, kidnappings, strafing of homes with gunfire, and graffiti declaring the area “…a land of Islam. There is no room for Christians here.” The above July 2013 report was a sequel to earlier coverage in October 2012, which had described leaflets from unidentified Islamists threatening to punish Christians who would refuse to leave.

The (English language) Muslim response to such reports is usually to deny them and question the reliability of the witnesses; or to protest that “real Islam” would never permit such acts, blaming them on “a few Islamist radicals”. Either type of narrative is suspect, given the Muslim doctrine of Taqqiyya, which approves of lying to non-Muslims. This fascinating mindset is based on a teaching attributed to Mohammed, that deception is an honorable weapon in the eternal warfare against the unbelievers. It is favored as a pragmatic strategy in locations where Muslims are not yet ruling. It can even include pretending to abandon Islam for the dominant religion, in order to gain leadership positions in the infidel nation where they live. When the Muslim population reaches a critical mass, the leader drops his pretense and rejoins his Muslim comrades as a hero.

Far from feeling guilty about this tactic, Islamists who practice Taqqiyya see themselves on an errand of mercy. After the world has been ‘liberated from the spiritual darkness’ of all other religions, those who had been tricked into submitting to Islam will be glad about it, for by then they will "understand" that the end justified the means. This response is guaranteed by enforcement of the dhimmi pact, which includes denying the Muslim abuse that dictates the pact.

Meanwhile back at CatC, Colin Chapman gently reproved Middle East Christians who want to escape this nightmare by relocating their families to Western democracies like his own country (“Can Christians Survive,” time-mark 26:20). They should stay and try to improve the Christian image in Muslim eyes by serving the community, reading the Koran, befriending Muslims, and accepting their [inferior] place in Muslim society. Forgetting his earlier portrayal of Muslim tolerance, Chapman exhorted them to repent from their fear of suffering (31:10), holding up Jesus’ disciples as their models for overcoming this weakness.

According to a lengthy report by CAMERA, Chapman’s message of “understanding” the violence in Islam against Christians as the fault of the West was echoed by CatC 2014 speaker Munther Isaac. But Isaac went further and used the Christian suffering in Muslim lands as justification for rejecting the Jewish character of Israel. The writer identified this convoluted reasoning as a “dhimmi narrative”.

The most interesting statement in the letter published by the Israeli CatC participants was a challenge to Messianic Jewish critics:

The message here is twofold, and I have no doubt that the signatories sincerely believe in both of them.

I pondered the realization that the Israeli CatC attendees had issued a call to do something which is already being done.

They seemed unaware of the Crossroads initiative at the time the letter was written (14/april/14). Yet I was informed that at least one of the signatories had been invited to Crossroads 2014, which took place less than a month later (10/may/14). What's more, other Israeli leaders had thrown their public support behind this alternative: Peter Tsukahira from Mt. Carmel Assembly, Reuven Berger from Christ Church, and Rick Ridings from Sukkat Hallel all spoke from the podium.

Perhaps the Israeli CatC supporters had dismissed this alternate conference as unworthy of mention? The possibility is hinted at by the qualification of a “conference with equivalent quality of…organization and publicity.” On those points, CatC truly has no competition. The Checkpoint roster of speakers is publicized, funded and celebrated on an international scale. Its well-organized registration attracted 600-700 participants to Checkpoint 2014, and free access to recorded CatC sessions allowed countless Internet viewers to see the presentations from all three conferences. In contrast, Crossroads is an invitation-only event, held under strong security measures, with some speakers using assumed names or left unidentified. No video recordings were made available, and some faces in the story photos were deliberately blurred. It appears that only one journalist was permitted to report on the event to the public.

Yet the poor visibility of Crossroads does not come from low-quality organization, but rather from high-risk integrity in the messages delivered. As we have seen, and as Dan Juster publicly implied, Christians in Muslim lands who tell the truth about Muslim persecution cannot afford the luxury of unrestricted publicity. Only Middle East Christians who stay within the bounds of the “dhimmi narrative” can openly identify themselves, enable live international coverage, and throw open the doors to all interested comers without harassment (at least not while the cameras are running).

At Crossroads, the “different views” suggested by our Israeli brethren were heard at full volume. Some of the on-site reports:

Canon Andrew White was one of the high-profile speakers. A vicar of the Anglican Church of England, he ministers in Baghdad. His faithful service over the years as “the Vicar of Baghdad” has earned him the respect of many Iraqis: Jews, Christians, and Muslims (inexplicably, some 600 Muslim women regularly visit his church). And with all that, he loves and supports Israel, with a knowledge of Jewish history and practice acquired by studying at Jewish institutions. Canon White goes a long way to restoring the good name of the Anglican Church from the damage done by his fellow vicar Stephen Sizer.

And wonder of wonders: appearing at Crossroads were Palestinian Christian Zionists. Tass Saada’s testimony is one of the most moving I have ever heard. A rebellious Palestinian youth devoted to Yasser Arafat’s PLO and a trained killer of Israelis, he was dedicated to hating Jews until he encountered the Lord in the USA. He weathered death threats from his family for leaving Islam, and in the end received his father's blessing. Today he brings aid to the poor in PA areas, and also speaks as an unapologetic supporter of Israel. His book, Once an Arafat Man, his life story, is great reading.

The Crossroads speakers are an undreamed-of source of encouragement to Israel, but they are risking their lives to bring it. They come from Islamic countries which are sworn enemies of Israel and Jews worldwide, enemies of Western democracy and enemies of the Christian/Messianic faith.

Added to that sacrifice was a painful irony created by some Israelis in charge of tourist visas this year, who seemed determined to misunderstand the whole point of the Conference. They indulged in what many see as anti-Christian bias by causing needless complications, even denying entry to law-abiding Conference attendees from the UK who didn’t need visas. More than 20 Crossroads participants were reportedly turned away by Israel’s Interior Ministry.

By way of comparison, there were no media reports of harassment or deportation of Christ at the Checkpoint participants.

[My search identified only one quietly mentioned incident: Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, formerly of Gaza and now resident in Canada. As a speaker invited to CatC, he was interviewed by Sami Awad via Skype because he had been “denied entry to the West Bank” (i.e. Bethlehem). Although the blogs picking up the story inserted "denied entry... by Israeli authorities", the authority which had barred the Muslim Abuelaish remained curiously unidentified by CatC (mark 1:00). I can’t help but think that the mildly “disappointed” Awad would have expressed indignation, and the journalists at the Conference would have published the news with righteous fury, if it had been possible to blame Israel. On the contrary, Abuelaish was a respected physician at Soroka and Sheba Medical Centers who had free passage in and out of Israel for some 20 years. The whole issue was delicately avoided by both Abuelaish and Awad, so we can only speculate.]

The Palestinian brethren invited to The Crossroads represented the level of suffering lamented by CatC sponsors (and more), yet they did not share the Checkpoint “fulfillment” theology that cancels Israel’s entitlement to the land. Their courage in recognizing God’s promises to the Jewish people is accompanied by a realistic view of Israel's moral failures, in the context of the moral dilemmas imposed on it which no other nation would tolerate for a minute. This maturity and sense of fairness has earned them discrimination, denunciation, beatings and death threats.

Their honesty in describing the dhimmi aspect of their suffering, which has nothing to do with Israel, has earned them deafness from global media and mainstream Christianity (which are following the UN endorsement of dhimmi behavior). Theirs is a narrative that isn't supposed to exist.

At the Checkpoint conference, these kinds of Palestinian voices are absent. However, that doesn't mean our Israeli brothers and sisters who attended CatC 2014 never heard of them. Two years ago, I had a private exchange with one of the signatories. I mentioned Bethlehem pastor Naim Khoury, whose story was covered by such diverse outlets as Daystar Christian TV, the Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz. I first learned about Naim from CBN News. Around the time of the previous CatC conference (2012), his son Stephen Khoury was touring the USA to tell the Body about the growing oppression of Christians under the PA, which matches the stories coming from other Muslim-dominated countries. These first-hand testimonies of Christian suffering were dismissed by my Israeli friend as having “absolutely no documentation.”

I asked for an explanation for this categorical judgment, but there was no reply. All I had to go on was an impression that the brethren at Bethlehem Bible College (whom my friend respected) had declined to confirm Khoury’s story.

I am baffled about what motivates the CatC spokespeople at Bethlehem Bible College to promote one Palestinian narrative and censor another. These instructors and administrators are not trapped in their city behind the awful "apartheid wall"; their freedom of movement has allowed many of them to travel into Israel, study and speak around the world, earn degrees abroad and even acquire foreign citizenship. By implication, the "Israeli occupation" didn't hinder the funding necessary for their travel, education and provision for their families. Only they can explain why they are volunteering for the role of dhimmis who have no choice but to demonize Zionism, "so they can address one injustice realm without being killed" (Juster). Only they can explain why their commitment, "All forms of violence must be refuted unequivocally" (Checkpoint Manifesto, point 6), does not apply to violence carried out by PA officials and sanctioned by shari'a.

We could at least expect those College colleagues who subscribe to Dr. Salim Munayer's "Theology of the Land" to apply that theology to the 20-year track record of Palestinian abuses. While I do not accept Salim's interpretation of the land-based promises in the Bible, those who do accept it need to be consistent. If the land God gives to every people is conditional on their making the right moral and ethical choices, and if an unwillingness to repent of injustice cancels a people's right to the Holy Land, then surely the successors of Yasser Arafat, who have continued his legacy of terror and corruption, are ripe for the punishment of exile. Even if only the suffering of Palestinians is acknowledged, there is plenty of evidence that the covenant has been broken in many ways, without the least sign of remorse or fear of God.

But the greatest responsibility lies on our side of the fence. We should be disturbed by the idea that any Israeli believer (Jewish, Arab or other) would enable this censorship of abuse by willful ignorance or passive neutrality. The privileges of independent fact-checking and free speech make us supremely accountable to expose the truth, and then stand by it.

Our accountability to use the blessing of democratic freedom to speak the truth is modelled by the individuals in the next section.

In the search for reconciliation efforts that don’t sacrifice the truth of God’s promises to Israel, it's amazing to find that godly options are not limited to those Arabs identifying themselves as born-again Christians. A growing number of cultural Christians – and even Muslims – are opting to embrace the truth as their narrative. Perhaps unaware of the biblical prophecies they are fulfilling, they are declaring that not only does the Jewish State (with all its flaws) merit their support, but Zionism itself is a legitimate conviction which non-Jews can share with the Jews.

Hafeez writes that he grew up around extreme anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views. He harbored an intense hatred for Israel and drifted towards radical Islam at university. After reading “The Case for Israel” by Alan Dershowitz, as well as “Israel 101” by the Zionist organization StandWithUs, he began a period of learning, culminating in a trip to Israel. He fell in love with Israel, and today he is proud to call himself a Zionist. He wrote about his journey, calling it, “The Day I Stopped Hating Israel”. As a Muslim, Hafeez has decided to speak up for Christians as well. Read “The Longest Genocide – the ignored persecution of Christians in the Middle East”.

Christy, a law student, sought asylum in Britain after receiving death threats from her family. Why did her own Christian relatives want to kill her? She had decided, after reading her Bible, that God really did give the land of Israel to the Jews. And she believed in the Palestinian dream of democracy, which awarded her the right to talk about her new discovery. In a daring video, she publicly appealed to the PA leadership to keep a promise they had made to defend her human rights. Watch her longer video presentation here.

Khalloul identifies himself not as an Arab, but as an Aramaic Christian who speaks Arabic. He posted an open letter to the 2014 CatC conference, in which he expressed his protest in the strongest terms:

This loveable, articulate teen has produced several video clips that went viral on the social media. He calls himself “lucky” to be born an Israeli, and he wants to help defend the country from “our enemies”… when he’s old enough to join the IDF (he’s only 17). Watch this interview, recorded April 2014. He also wrote to college students urging them not to vote for divestment of Israel, telling them that “almost 90%” of Israeli Arabs have expressed a preference to be Israeli rather than Palestinian. (The percentage in national surveys is closer to 40%, but the results still "bucked conventional wisdom".)

After posting a gutsy response to the brutal kidnapping of our three Israeli teens, demanding their return in three languages, Zoabi narrowly escaped being kidnapped himself. Police uncovered a plot to get revenge for his videos, initiated by three of his own relatives. Mohammed happens to be related to Israeli MK Hanin Zoabi, who has made headlines by bashing Israel and defending terrorists. She accused her young cousin of having been “trained” to support the “oppressors” who pay her salary. (He diplomatically replied that not all of the family supports her views.)

Nonie spent her childhood in the Gaza Strip under Egyptian occupation (before 1967). Her father directed terrorist attacks across the border in Israel, and she was taught to dream about being a martyr and killing Jews. She later went through a journey of discoveries that caused her to completely turn around, eventually founding “Arabs for Israel” and “Former Muslims United”. Now living in the US, she speaks about life inside Islam, pointing out the many contradictions in Muslim culture and religion which are destroying Arabs as well as Jews.

She describes what it was like growing up “in the heart of the Arab-Israel conflict”. Here is one lecture to a Jewish group, long but gripping, with a fascinating insider explanation of Islam. The most insightful part of this lecture is her explanation of why Muslims MUST go on hating the Jews, no matter what. You can read that part separately here.

Darwish also describes the price Muslims pay for embracing Christianity. And here is a heartrending example: Nagla al-Imam, an Egyptian lawyer and shari’a expert who knew the price she would pay, and yet she still became a Christian. Her fate is currently unknown.

Ramelah is founder and president of Voice of the Copts, an organization “dedicated to bringing fair, correct and balanced information to the entire world regarding Copts and Christians in countries with an Arab-Muslim majority.” He had this to say about the Zionist issue:

These represent the courageous few, for whom truth is worth the risk of speaking publicly.

To those Christians facing pressure as dhimmis in Muslim societies, and who go on denying their dilemma by trying to discredit Zionism, I cannot react with anything but compassion. If God had willed it, I could have been in their place (and perhaps someday will be there). Regarding those Palestinian Christians who choose to remain dhimmis despite the freedom to escape from that pressure, I have already commented.

As for the visiting Christians like Colin Chapman, who came to tell local brethren that they should make the most of their situation, and then returned to a comfortable life in the free West: You would do well to memorize Bat Ye’or’s list of dhimmi restrictions. You may soon have to rely on the “Christian survival” strategies promoted at CatC 2014!

The Learning & Turning Corner