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Writer, Boston College professor and art collector Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi spoke about how modern art from the Middle East interacts with politics during a talk on Wednesday hosted by the Crown Center for Middle East Studies.
The term "Middle East" generally conjures up images of the war in Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iranian nuclear threat and the recent Arab Spring. Rarely does one think of Christianity as a minority religion that has been persecuted, its holy sites vandalized and its worshippers abused and murdered throughout the Middle East. Michael Oren, the United States ambassador to Israel, recently wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal, in which he stated that the Middle East was 20 percent Christian at the start of the previous century and just 5 percent Christian today. Two hundred thousand Coptic Christians were forced to flee their homes in Egypt within the past year. The Coptic Christians have lived in Egypt since the first century of the Common Era and were the dominant religion in Egypt until the emergence of Islam. The Copts currently consist of 10 percent of Egypt's population and used to live peacefully next to their Muslim neighbors. However, this recently changed when they were attacked by violent mobs of Salafi Islamists, shot at by the Egyptian army, had their churches burned and their priests beaten. Last October, between 20 and 35 Coptic Christians were murdered by Egyptian security officers while protesting the government's failure to protect Egyptian churches. Egyptian media called upon citizens to defend the army and attack the Copts. Where is the uproar about the treatment of the Copts? Christians are also being persecuted by their neighbors in Lebanon. After the Israeli army withdrew from Southern Lebanon in 2000, the Hezbollah terrorist organization slowly took over the area. There used to be a stable Christian population in Southern Lebanon. Now, many of them have been forced to flee, while those who remain live in constant fear. Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza, many Gazan Christians have fled into Israel, as conditions in Gaza have become awful for the local Christians. It is illegal to publicly display Christian symbols in Gaza, and people have been shot for simply carrying crucifixes or for being accused of trying to spread Christianity. Oren mentioned an incident that took place a few years ago, in which Rami Ayad, the only Christian bookstore owner in Gaza, was tortured and shot in his store and a YMCA was bombed. The culprits in both cases were never arrested. Moreover, Christians face serious discrimination in Palestinian-controlled territories in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority recently declared the First Baptist Church in Bethlehem, a site that was victim to many bombings in the First Intifada, "illegitimate." The First Baptist Church, founded 30 years ago, has over 400 member families and is host to a Bible college. Now, however, any official business conducted in the church, such as marriages, is no longer considered legal. Bethlehem pastor Naim Khoury suggested that the church's activism for a peaceful solution to the conflict, without bias toward either side, may have played a role in the decision to declare the church illegitimate. In 2007, the Iranian parliament passed a law with an overwhelming majority punishing with death any male who leaves Islam. This law has been used to execute at least four people so far as well as to imprison several more. Most recently, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for converting to Christianity, as noted by Oren in his article. Where is the uproar? When American soldiers in Afghanistan burned Qurans that were being used to pass messages among prisoners detained by the U.S. Army, mass riots ensued. American soldiers were murdered in retaliation by radicals who were angered by the desecration of the Quran. The response to the Quran burning was seen even far away, as Muslims all over the world voiced their anger about the Quran desecration. In Libya, Islamists desecrated the graves of British servicemen who died in North Africa during the Second World War, as well as those of Jews and Christians. The wide extent of the reaction to the Quran burning shows how Muslims around the world exhibited support for their fellow Muslims. Unfortunately, the world doesn't react when Christians are persecuted, let alone respond the way it does when the Islamic holy book is burned. The problem may stem from the fact that Christianity is the largest religion in the Western world. For Europeans and Americans, it is hard to imagine Christianity as a persecuted religion. Therefore, we tend to view the many occurrences of persecution against Middle Eastern Christians as isolated instances rather than as a general pattern that is growing more and more worrisome. This attitude needs to change if there is any hope for the future of Christianity in the Middle East. The world must speak up now. Why do we react every time offensive material is published about Islam, but we don't react when Christians are also being persecuted? The right for one to practice Christianity without fearing for one's life must be protected just as much as the right to practice Islam without others publicly desecrating your religion. Christians are being persecuted in many countries throughout the Middle East, in places were they have lived safely for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the only country in the Middle East where they can live safely now is Israel. We must change that. Editor's note: Michael Kosowsky '14 is a Brandeis University Campus Fellow for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.
According to the Haaratz daily newspaper, on Jan. 14, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) closed two universities in the West Bank town of Hebron -- Palestine Polytechnic University and Hebron University. The military order will hold for a period of two weeks, at which point it may be extended for up to six months or longer. Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU) was founded in 1978 by the University Graduates Union, a non-profit organization in the Hebron district. PPU is composed of 2,497 students and 400 employees. In addition to courses for two and four year degrees in science and engineering, the university offers various electives for students and continuing education for the larger Hebron community in areas such as fine arts, language instruction (including Hebrew), computer technology, and women's rights and reproductive health. Founded in 1971, as a small college for the study of Al-Shari'a (Islamic law), Hebron University has since expanded into the largest institution of higher education in the Southern West Bank with 4,200 students and seven schools in Shari'a, Arts, Education, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Finance and Management and Nursing. The university has a history of working to recruit women who make up 60 percent of the student body and provide scholarships to students with financial constraints. In a statement on its web-site, the IDF justified its actions stating: "certain Palestinian academic institutions have become focal points and havens for radical religious and nationalist activity for all the terrorist organizations. The organizations have based most of their operational infrastructure on students, while using the resources at their disposal in the academic institutions." In a nine-page document about the incident, the IDF reported that the universities were "fertile ground for terror and a hothouse for terrorists and suicide bombers." The army based its allegations on claims that students had used university computer labs to download information from the internet on how to make explosives, that Hamas had used a chemistry lab at Hebron University to produce bombs, that the universities had disseminated materials to encourage terrorism and that several suicide bombers and Hamas leaders had been enrolled in the two institutions. The two universities denied the accusations and called for international intervention to re-open their institutions. In a point by point response to the IDF document, PPU stated, "The claim that these universities encourage terrorism and endorse acts of vengeance as part of the curriculum is categorically baseless ... We strongly stress that our university has not even one single formal course focusing on the teaching of Islamic beliefs, whether 'fanatical' or otherwise. The document gave a specific example in which they claim that one student downloaded files from Al Kassam website 'explaining how to prepare explosive devices.' This is a ridicules accusation as anyone can access the Internet from any Internet Caf. In addition, the university internet service provider is an Israeli company located in Tel Aviv, called Barak ...we absolutely deny that our campus locations include any incitement material." An example of the Israeli definition of 'incitement material' is shown in the document by a a photo of a paper notebook with a cover they claim to have 'illustrations of a militant nature.' But according to the PPU, "a careful examination of this cover shows that it has a verse from Quran encouraging one to work." While PPU admitted that some students registered at their university had participated in terrorist activity, they stressed that, "the PPU can in no way be held responsible to students' off-campus actions. Moreover, the organizations referred to in the document already claimed responsibility (for suicide bombings) and our university has absolutely nothing to do with these organizations." Both universities called the closings a human rights violation that denied students the fundamental right to education. Many Palestinians said they were worried that the closings of the universities would increase terrorism against Israelis. One student at Hebron University told the Sydney Morning Herald, "We were surprised, because this university has been calm ... I wonder what the students will do after this. The university was a place that kept them in line. What will they do now?" Hebron University spokesman Naim Daour, echoed these fears in the article: "Students will have nothing to do, they will go to the street and think of revenge, and we will enter the cycle of violence again." The Herald reported that the Commander of the Nahal company who closed the university argued, "We do not in any manner wish to harm the innocent Palestinian population, however, we have a duty to prevent education that incites murder of Israelis."Prof Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) strongly supported the IDF's decision, arguing that the universities "were opened, like so many other universities in the West Bank, only following the Six Day War ... (They) formed part of Israel's benevolent policy that aimed to help improve conditions for the Arab masses in these areas ... One of the many tragedies of the last decade is that these universities, which might have accomplished so much good for Israel's Arab population, were subverted by extremists. Propaganda replaced education and instead of training students for careers, the universities became breeding grounds for terrorist murderers. Everyone, Jews and Arabs alike, will benefit when the scrouge of terror is destroyed and moderate forces can get back to the business of improving human lives," he said.However, Maher Al-Friejat, a Palestinian student in the Heller School disagreed, saying "The Palestinian universities ... have a tremendous history in providing the Palestinians with needed educational opportunities ... Those educational institutes helped in creating an educational atmosphere based on freedom of expression and dialogue between students. They also contributed to educating students about the peace culture and the need for real peace in the area ... Their educational credibility enabled them to start partnerships with other American universities with the help of the USAID office in the West Bank and Gaza. This new action ... will not serve any political agenda; however, it will help in increasing the level of suffering for Palestinians, (and) the expansion of the gap between the two nations."Prof. Gordon Fellman noted that the actions formed part of an ongoing cycle of violence. "The closing of institutions is yet another form of collective punishment, a practice that Jews have rightly abhorred in our own history, "mental health," ... What is to be learned by Palestinians from the closings? To resent and/or hate Israel even more ... In the cycle of violence, each party commits itself to what may seem an appealing proposition, that the other side will capitulate to violence against it. The reality that the other side hardens still more and commits violence in retaliation is pretty obvious to the objective observer but is often lost on the person committed to that point of view. This is genuinely tragi,." he continued.While Sarna, Al-Friejat, and Fellman offered their perspectives, many faculty, administration and students reported to have no opinion or refused comment. Marina Pevzner '04, an Israeli Jew and Slifka co-existence scholar criticized Brandeis for its silence on the issue. "Whether they agree or disagree with the closures, they have a duty to express their point of view," she said, "particularly in light of the visits of Brandeis international fellow Sari Nussebeh, (head of Al-Quds university) who has spoken extensively on this topic," she said. Pevzner reported she was sad to see that while "hundreds of Israeli scholars have adamantly condemned policies which close or impede access to Palestinian universities, Brandeis preaches 'truth pursued wherever it may lead' but keeps conveniently quiet." She said she worried about the threat to Israel's national security as a result of the university closings, emphasizing that her work in Arab-Jewish dialogue over the past five years demonstrated that "the people who are interested in dialogue are the students at universities." She added, "Education opens up doors which ignorance closes." Two non-tenured faculty expressed that while opposed to the closings, they were afraid that publicly stating so would have adverse effects on their standing at the university. Others, including university president, Jehuda Reinharz, responded that they were not adequately informed to offer a perspective. "I wish I could provide you with a statement ... However, I simply do not know enough about the situation or have sufficient information to provide an informed response. I don't wish to speculate on the basis of the very sketchy information I have at the moment.