palestine – Gino's Blog

As you may already know, Palestine has been granted observer state status yesterday by the UN General Assembly. For those who don’t know, this is a big deal as it is de-facto declaration on behalf of the world’s nations that the state of Palestine does in fact exist.

138 nations voted for elevating Palestine status, 41 abstained and only 9 opposed. Of those 9 only Canada and the US were major powers. France, Spain and Italy all voted yes. Germany and Britain avoided getting into the fuss and abstained instead.

So, understandably, the US, Israel and Canada would stick together. Why though, did the Pacific’s tiny island states with a combined population less than a major city, vote no?

Well, in a Civilization-like move (the god game, not actual civilization) the US and these countries have an agreement on military, foreign policy and economic issues. The US provides these tiny states with funding and special services such as emergency response, in addition to of course protecting these nations (some of which, like Nauru, have less than 10K inhabitants and is just 21 square kilometers in size).

Read up more on wikipedia

A Compact of Free Association (COFA) defines the relationship that each of three sovereign states—the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau—have entered into as associated states with the United States.

Now sovereign nations, the three freely associated states were formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a United Nations trusteeship administered by the United States Navy from 1947 to 1951 and by the United States Department of the Interior from 1951 to 1986 (to 1994 for Palau). Under the COFA relationship, the United States provides guaranteed financial assistance over a 15-year period administered through the Office of Insular Affairs in exchange for full international defense authority and responsibilities.

Special thanks to Tres for pointing that out

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I have been contemplating an artical similar to this one for weeks, but couldn’t get my thougts organized enough. My dearest Yara Zgheib has done it marvellously, in very few words and exceptionally eloquent writing. With her permission, I would like to share this with you…

You Say You Want a Revolution…

Revolution in the Middle East is all anyone seems to be talking about these days. Presidents and prime ministers are being knocked out of office, regimes are collapsing and demonstrations are sprouting. While everyone is speculating about what this will mean for the Sunnis, the Shiites, the Israelis, the Europeans, the neighboring countries, the world… an important question looms ahead: what does this mean for the Christians?

A 1914 census showed that 22% of the population living in the Middle East was Christian. Today that figure has dropped to a drastic 9%. Some figures go as low as 5%. Let us examine the facts: Christians in the Middle East have historically been concentrated in the following countries: Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories.

In Iraq, the collapse of the Saddam regime and the ensuing chaos and Islamic extremism resulted in the persecution of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians, who were either massacred or forced to flee to neighboring countries like Syria and Lebanon. A Christian voice in Iraqi politics from now on will be virtually non-existent.

The situation in Egypt is critical. From the Christmas day bombings to the almost daily persecution of Copts, Christians in Egypt have come to the bitter realization that practicing their faith has become an outright risk to their personal security. Of course, with all that has been happening in the country of late, the status of Christian minorities is not high on the media’s priority list, but it is nonetheless of immense concern. If Mubarak is ousted, will Egypt become the new Iraq? If so, what will become of the 15,000,000 Coptic refugees this creates?

In Syria, the Christian minorities in Aleppo and Damascus live a relatively secure life and are free to practice their religion, in moderation. A political opinion is out of the question of course, but insofar as basic human rights are concerned the Syrians have not been complaining. This is mostly thanks to the Assad regime’s iron grip on the social and political arenas. But what if the Assad regime waivers?

The Palestinian territories themselves present an interesting case, mostly because they have managed to stay out of the limelight so far. Levels of violence and persecution of Christians are on the rise. With more and more Christian villages being attacked, women being forced to wear headdresses, and more defamatory propaganda accusing Palestinian Christians of conspiring with the enemy, Christian in the Palestinian Territories now live in dire conditions. Resources, food, and employment are scarce enough, mobility severely limited, and the Palestinian authorities are turning a blind eye to, if not encouraging, the growing hostility against the Christians. Analysts fear the effects of the Egyptian violence on Israel and the Palestinians. Tensions are high, and the situation could rapidly escalate into full blown violence. Ideal targets? Palestinian Christians.

As for Lebanon, the last Christian haven in the Middle East… or is it still? Lebanese Christians complain, they don’t vote. They spend money, they don’t invest. They emigrate, they don’t come back. They acquire American and Canadian passports, and let their Lebanese ones expire. Their children speak perfect English, French, Spanish, but can’t read an Arabic newspaper. They squabble over petty 1980s politics, but can’t elect good ministers. Meanwhile, their numbers are declining, their influence in government as well. We have yet to see what the new Lebanese cabinet will look like.

And the list goes on: Turkey, Algeria, Sudan, Pakistan… It is no longer a matter of declining influence. Christians are being wiped off the map.

With that charming picture painted out, what is to be done about the situation of the Christians in the Middle East?

Talk. Talk about it. A cause is not a cause unless people know about it. With the world’s eyes riveted towards the Middle East, now is the time to lobby for the rights of Christian minorities.

Educate. Christianity has been present in the MENA region virtually since its inception. Teach it, appreciate the culture and heritage that comes with it. Preserve those roots.

Vote. Whether in the country or out of it, Christians need to pull out their passports, head to the nearest embassy or polling station, and vote. In Lebanon out-of-country voting will be instigated in time for the 2013 elections. If you have something to say, vote.

Invest. Minority rights NGOs are sprouting like mushrooms, and the entire Middle East is one huge construction site. If you’re betting for the survival of Christians in the Middle East, put your money where your mouth is.

You say you want a revolution, well you know… turmoil in the Middle East is already underway. The chaos could have disastrous effects on the Christian minorities in the countries it affects, and more large-scale violence and persecution could ensue, but it could also be geared in a positive direction. It literally is now or never. The whole region is acting up now; maybe Middle Eastern Christians should wake up and do so too.

Yara Zgheib