Palestinian Christians, 2010
Photos by Stella Carroll

“Why do you keep asking about the relationship between Christians and Muslims?” asked Afaf Shattara, raising her voice. “We are all Palestinians!” She explained to me that “Christian”,” Muslim”, it doesn’t matter. “We all suffer the same injustice. We have restricted freedom of movement, we face the indignity of check points and we are separated from our land, our family and friends by walls and barriers.” After the declaration of the Jewish state in 1948, she explained to me, Palestinians are not considered equal to Jews. There are Jews and there are non-Jews.

Afaf and her brother, Abu Yusef, are the only Palestinian Christians left in the Qaqillya district of the Palestinian territory. She was born here and has lived here all of her life. She was educated in Nablus and Egypt. Her hospitality, the food she prepares and her love for the Palestinian children in the school where she taught indeed testified that she is a Palestinian who happens to be Christian.

Sitting in the shade of a lemon tree in their garden, Afaf tells us that there are no problems between her and her Muslim neighbors. They are friends and respect each others’ traditions. As if to demonstrate her affirmation, while we were eating supper with birds singing in the tree above our heads, 4 men and a boy dropped in to visit. They were practicing the Ramadan fast. Therefore, they were not offered any food or drink because it was before sundown. They were, however, offered hospitality. They stayed and visited for about 30 minutes. The conversation flowed easily and naturally as we finished our meal.

Later, in answer to my now cautious question concerning reports that Muslims seek to force Christians out, she explained, “some conservative Christians have a problem because they do not like Muslims. This attitude prevents the opportunity to be good neighbors.” She insists that Christians have been leaving the area, not because of any persecution by Muslims, but because they are able to leave and prefer to choose to live in more stable conditions than experienced under Israeli occupation and discrimination.

Afaf has retired from being the principal of a Muslim school in Azzun. She was also elected a municipal council member for a 10 year term. She was elected to that position with the second most votes among all of the candidates for the Council positions. She also pointed out that the mayor of Ramallah is a Christian woman. Her face glowed and her pride was exposed as she told us about her time as principal and when serving on the Council.

On a second visit to Azzun we found 82 year old Abu Yusef sitting in the village square in conversation with four or five Palestinian men. He immediately invited us back to his house. Over tea he told us he was born here and has been a stone mason and a carpenter. Since his father died he has taken care of the family land. However, he has no permit to go to the land so he hires people to do the farming. His four children have moved to Amman, Ramallah and America. He has a brother in America as well. They have move primarily for jobs.

Like Yusef’s children, many Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, have left for better job opportunities. Others leave because of harassment by Israeli soldiers, a dire economic situation and separation walls and fences. More Christians are leaving because the Christian population is more able financially as well as better educated with more business and family connections. A 2008 study reveals that 32% emigrated because of a lack of freedom, 26% because of the deteriorating economic situation, 19% because of political instability and 12% in pursuit of education. Less than 1% of Christians flee religious extremism. (1) According to a 2006 poll of Christians in Bethlehem, 90% of Christians have Muslim friends. (2)

Friendship between Christians and Muslims was demonstrated to me on one recent Sunday. I was with three other Ecumenical Accompaniers attending worship at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Nablus. During the coffee hour one of the members explained the close proximity of the Mosque to the church. It seems that the church had sold some of its land to the Muslims to build their mosque. Even as the story was told, the call to prayer echoed loudly in the church courtyard. As the call faded away and we could hear each other again, the member said, “the Muslim call to prayer reminds me of our history of being good neighbors for over 90 years.”

Abu Yusef laments for the time when there was a large Christian community of 600 people in Azzun. He and his sister are the only ones left. He is a “Latin Christian.” For a while the priest would come to visit them and to pray with them. Even that has stopped now. But Yusef still has his Muslim friends. Their prayers mingle with his, longing for the time when a just peace and freedom will be their common experience as Palestinians.

John Buttrick, Jayyous, Palestine

(1) Palestinian Christians, ed by Collings, Kassis, & Raheb, Diyar publisher, 2008
(2) Problems of Palestinian Christians as a Result of Political Situation, Joint advocacy Initiative of East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine, 2006.


EAPPI-US and Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have sent me as an Ecumenical Accompanier serving the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The views contained herein are personal to me and do not necessarily reflect those of EAPPI-US and Global Ministries or the WCC.