for nearly a quarter of a century, we have been publishing christmas and new year’s greetings in al-qabas newspaper for wishing christians, both citizens and residents, as well as those throughout the arab world, happiness and well-being during these holidays.
this is the least we can offer them. despite the differing views of some, they are part of us, and we owe them, and the christians in the western world, a great deal in the fields of science, medicine, inventions, and pharmaceuticals.
my colleague, the palestinian writer and researcher abdulghani salameh, wrote an article in 2021 about the christians of the east, which i commented on about two years ago.
the content of salameh’s article highlighted the ignorance of many people, including myself, regarding the religious background of numerous arab celebrities. perhaps this is because their names do not immediately indicate that they are christians.
examples include afi f safi eh, maha nassar, nayef hawatmeh, kamal nasser, wadi haddad, hanan ashrawi, yaqoub ziadine, jul jamal, salam helaneh, nabil abu rudeineh, zuhdi al-tarzi, hanan imsih, naim khader, karim khalaf, naji alloush, mahjoub omar, samir ghatas, khalil sakakini, ilya abu madi, tawfi q toubi, ameen rihani, anis al-sayegh, sabri jreis, samir kassir, may ziadeh, hanna mina, najib azoury, elias shoufani, nassif al-yaziji, azmi bishara, ghaleb halsa, nazih abu nidal, fakhri qawar, youssef beidas, munib younan, mitri al-raheb, the rahbani brothers, wadih al-safi , majida el roumi, sabah, samira tawfi q, reem talhami, reem banna, youssef chahine, naguib el rihani, hani ramzi, hala sedki, elissa, najwa karam, wael kfoury, nancy ajram, nawal el zoghbi, melhem barakat, diana haddad, elias karam, salloum haddad, abed fahd, bassam yakhour, qusai khouli, abeer issa, jamil awad, juliet awad, nabil al-mashini, osama al-mashini, raed andoni, george bahgoury, and suleiman mansour.
this is in addition to prominent figures already known to be christian, including leaders, activists, intellectuals, poets, journalists, writers, artists, economists, and pioneers of the arab nationalist renaissance.
salameh says that what motivated him to write about christians was not only the unjustified hostility they face, but also the perceived loss of resources caused by their emigration to the west. he added that it has become evident that several entities are working systematically and deliberately to diminish the christian presence in many arab countries.
as a result, it is clear why those who have emigrated did so, after being treated as second-class citizens and denied access to many senior positions.
this continuous decline in their numbers among us has inevitably led to several negative consequences. they do not need mere tolerance, since they are citizens with rights in these homelands no less than anyone else. what they need is the appreciation and respect they rightfully deserve.
the departure of christians is heartbreaking, as is the departure and ongoing emigration of many of the best muslims. this motivated me, eight years ago, to write my article, “christians, leave our homelands,” which many consider one of the most famous and widely read articles in arabic.
therefore, i echo salameh’s plea - o christians, do not leave us, for we need you more than you need us. your presence among us is essential. christianity was born and nurtured in our lands. you are not guests, but an integral part of this region, deserving the same rights as everyone else.