I'm skeptical as to what they actually converted to. Some middle eastern "Christians" have some very questionable beliefs. I am glad that they left Islam though.
Rubystars the ones that convert tend to be very good people.
http://anneinpt.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/israeli-christian-arabs-form-their-own-political-party/ Israeli Christian Arabs form their own political party
Posted on 14 July 2013 by anneinpt
Father Gabriel Naddaf
Some extremely encouraging news: in a long-overdue move, Israel’s Christian Arabs are forming their own political party. They are calling their party Bnei Habrit Hahadasha, “Sons of the New Testament” and they are calling for IDF enlistment amongst other things:
Christian Arab citizens of Israel are forming a new political party that calls for Arab enlistment into the IDF. The party’s Hebrew name — B’nei Brit Hahadasha — means “Sons of the New Testament,” although the word “allies” is hidden in the title as well.
The effort is part of a growing assertiveness on the part of Christian Arabs in the wake of the Arab Spring, as they increasingly sound calls for an identity distinct from Israel’s broader Arab society, which is around 90% Muslim.
According to its Facebook page, the party’s platform includes full integration of Christians in all fields, peace with a democratic Palestinian state and all of Israel’s neighbors, increased tourism and trade, and the return of Israelis who have left the country.
Israel Hayom reported Tuesday that the new movement is led by Bishara Shilyan, a 58-year-old sea captain from the mixed Christian-Muslim city of Nazareth. Shilyan said the idea came to him when he saw how much trouble his nephew ran into when he tried to enlist in the army.
Today, Shilyan’s nephew is a major in a combat unit.
When it was his son’s turn to join the IDF, Shilyan started a local Christian enlistment forum with the help of local priests. One of the clergymen who joined up with the Forum for Drafting the Christian Community was Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox priest from Yafia who has faced threats for his support of Christian enlistment.
For his backing of Christian recruitment, Naddaf was banned from entering Nazareth’s Church of the Annunciation, and was threatened with being fired from his position in Yafia. The tires of his car were punctured and a rag with bloodstains was laid at his doorstep.
“If I was in America, I wouldn’t be American?” Shilyan said to Israel Hayom. “At least in Israel, everyone who stayed was given the right to become a citizen and integrate into society. But the first demand of Israel, and I’m for it — you need to understand it — is that it is the land of the Jewish people.”
According to Maariv, Shilyan’s efforts have begun to bear fruit: 90 high school graduates have joined the IDF in recent months, a number that may seem like a drop in the bucket considering the total number of 130,000 Arabic-speaking Christians in Israel, but it is a threefold increase compared to 2010. Small as it is, the number was sufficient to enrage Muslim community leaders and politicians, like Balad MKs Hanin Zoabi and Bassel Ghattas.
[...]
… The IDF has recently made Christian conscription easier at its Tiberias office, and a special adviser was appointed by the Defense Ministry to deal exclusively with Christians.
In the past, the IDF usually guided Christians into the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion, where they are found themselves a tiny minority among Muslim Bedouin and urban Arab soldiers. That is likely to change.
The violence against Middle Eastern Christians in the wake of the Arab Spring has likely pushed Israel’s Christians to more publicly express opinions considered unacceptable in Arab society. Coptic Christians in Egypt have faced attacks on churches and murders of priests since Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011. In Syria, Orthodox and Catholic churches have been kidnapped, and Islamist rebels declare Sharia law on Christian villages that fall under their control. “People see what’s happening now in Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria,” said Shilyan. “They understand where we’re living.”
Capt. Bishara Shilyan
Israel Hayom (via Israel Matzav) accurately remarks that:
Against the backdrop of hysteria expressed by Arab MKs who object to national service of any kind, but particularly in the army, the comments emanating from Israel’s Christian Arab community sound like a cultural and social declaration of independence.
Now comes the next phase in the independence process: forming a political party. As of today, the Arab Christian party will be named Habrit Hahadashah (The New Alliance — the word “brit,” which also means covenant, references the New Testament).
This is a historic turning point with profound and far-reaching consequences for Israeli society. If the party is successful, it will provide an alternative for that sector of Israel’s Arab population that seeks full partnership in Israeli society, and which sees a Jewish democratic Israel as its home.
In an interview with the paper, Bishara states:
“Look at what the Arab parties have done. Just talking nonsense about nothing but communism; [MK Dov] Khenin and [MK Mohammad] Barakeh (Hadash), what have they done for us? They want us to disappear and are not acting according to the integrity of their country’s citizens.”
What integrity?
“The integrity is very simple. A person belongs to his country. This is the integrity. You need to be like any citizen. If you were in America, you wouldn’t be an American? At least in Israel, those who stayed here have been given the right to be a citizen and to integrate. But Israel’s first demand, which I support — and which needs to be understood — is that Israel is the home of the Jewish people.”
What is your opinion about the automatic position taken by the Arab parties against Israel and in support of the Palestinians?
“It’s stupidity. You can be against something pertaining to a certain matter, but the state does a lot of things, so be a partner! Don’t always be against. They think being against Israel is Arab nationalism, that it is the manly thing. But if you oppose this way of thinking, you are a traitor. This is what needs to be changed. It’s stupidity. So I demand that we, the Christians, be recognized as loyal citizens of the state.”
Regarding the disgusting actions of those Muslim MKs who tried to call for Father Naddaf’s dismissal, the British-Israel Group reports:
Late last month, the Greek Orthodox patriarch in Jerusalem, acting on demands from Muslim Arab members of Israel’s Knesset, threated to fire Nadaf.
Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Interior Minister Gideon Saar immediately called the priest to convey their support and offer their assistance.
On Wednesday, Israel’s Attorney General’s Office announced that it had opened an investigation into the activities of the Muslim Knesset members who pushed for Nadaf’s dismissal.
“It’s unacceptable that Arab MKs should think that they can be Trojan horses in the Knesset and send letters of incitement against a Christian priest who encourages young Christians to enlist in the IDF,” said Likud MK Miri Regev during a Knesset Interior Committee hearing on the matter.
Many Arab politicians vehemently oppose Arab participation in Israeli national service for fear it will legitimize the existence of the Jewish state (which pays their paychecks).
Meanwhile, the pro-Israel Arab Christians of Nazareth are becoming increasingly bold in their stance, and even dared to hold a public gathering late last month to toast the achievements of their new forum whose goal is convincing more young Arabs to join the army, as reported by Israel’s Ma’ariv newspaper. “We chose to hold the conference to demonstrate that nothing will deter us,” forum spokesman Moran Khaloul told the newspaper. “We don’t live in Syria, where Christians are not allowed to speak…or in Iraq, where churches are bombed. We live in a Jewish state, which is democratic and free. As Israeli Christians we see ourselves as part of this state and not as part of those who oppose it.”
Khaloul said that until now, many in the community had been too afraid to speak out, but that was going to change. Many are now even referring to themselves openly as “Israeli Christians.” [...]
Henry Zahav, a 12th grader who intends to join the IDF gave this moving answer when asked byMa’ariv why he made that decision: “Ultimately, from a religious point of view, we are one. Jesus was a Jew, his mother was a Jew, and his 12 disciples were Jews.
I wish these wonderful Christian citizens of Israel the best of luck and would like to express my profound admiration at their courage, both physical and political, in establishing their organization and going so far against the grain of their surrounding communities.
Here’s a short video showing the practical implications of the forum’s policies: induction day at the IDF for two Christian Arab girls.
I’m sure you all join me in wishing these brave young ladies the best of luck and may they have a safe and successful service.
Topic: Good news for Christians (Read 1053 times)