Paul Calvert spoke with Nashat Filmon from the Palestinian Bible Society

Nashat Filmon

Established in 1993, the Palestinian Bible Society has provided relief packages and aid to areas hit by conflict and war, especially in Gaza and made the Bible available to a large number of Christian families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. With talk of forced conversions to Islam, Paul Calvert spoke with Director, Nashat Filmon, to find out more about the welfare of the Christian community in Gaza.

Paul: What is actually happening at the moment in Gaza?

Nashat: Well first of all, thank you for this interview. We appreciate your concern for Gaza and for the Christians in Gaza. Members from several of the Christian families in Gaza were forced to convert from Christianity to the Muslim faith. The news that we get from Gaza is terrible, because of the sense that the families have been penetrated and people are kidnapped and forced into something they do not want to be.

Paul: How does that leave the family when something like this happens?

Nashat: Devastated. A family feels that's an end of their family. They feel that separation, such as the case of a mother with her three daughters under the age of 18; she just disappeared from home and the father came back to find out that his wife and three daughters are not there and when he started the search he found out that she decided to leave because she was chatting and talking with somebody who convinced her to come and ultimately she decided to convert to Islam. This means that is the end of the family and the challenge here is that the Christian community in Gaza are very small in number and all of them are related to each other. We have in our culture the shame. This is a big shame for a member of the family to convert and to change their religion and their faith. We know for a fact that most of those that converted are not genuinely come to the understanding and the conviction of the new religion that they are going to; it's more social pressures; economic pressures and family challenges that they found that this is an easy path to run away from all of this and convert to Islam.

Paul: Are they cut off from the family?

Nashat: Usually, yes. They cut off the family; although I would say in the last two or three cases families were really caring for these people who disappeared. I would say they badly wanted them back as they are and of course we say in Arabic, 'The blood never turns to water' and this is the blood relationship. You care for your son or your daughter if they are good or bad.

Paul: Are they actually being kidnapped and being forced to convert?

Nashat: As far as we know some of them were kidnapped. A young 25 year old man was kidnapped. He disappeared for a few days and then after that he got the news that his mom was very sick at hospital and he decided to go and visit his mom. He went to the hospital and he was escorted by three military jeeps full of soldiers. He went inside and talked to his mom and in his chat with his mom he told her, 'Mom, I love the Bible; I love Jesus and I love you and I will never convert'. Then as soon as these militant people heard that, they forced him outside the hospital and forced him in the car. His mom followed him even though she was sick and they beat her and they just took him and left. That was devastating for the family because this guy is obviously not convinced of Islam and he basically is still a Christian. It's basically being forced into Islam. This is a major thing that causes fear among the Christian community, thinking about what's happening and what's going to happen next; can they stay as a Christian in Gaza without being threatened, or is Gaza going to turn into a 100% Muslim city or area.

Paul: I imagine that even if you are pretending to be Muslim and you are not, you can never turn away, you can never turn back to being a Christian again otherwise they will kill you?

Nashat: It's a one-way ticket if you like. If you convert to Islam in the Middle East you cannot convert back into Christianity, but if you are a Christian you can always and very quickly convert to Islam, without any delays. This is due to the Islamic rule. If you convert back from Islam, this means that you have betrayed Islam and then according to some Islamic thinkers and shariah, they can kill you.

Paul: Is it difficult being a Christian in the Gaza Strip?

Nashat: It is very difficult, because there are the pressures of organised militant groups. Their main agenda is to convert people into Islam and these are supported by the political people from the Hamas Parliament who basically are supporting that trend. On the other side there is the social pressure. The social pressure is that the number of Christians is decreasing day after day and if you are a Christian in Gaza, especially a woman, you stand out because they know you don't have a cover on your head. This means that you are a Christian and this is the kind of pressure that women face more than men. Thirdly it's hard for you to find a job. It's not easy at all and you cannot just apply and get a fair chance like anybody else. If you are a Christian in Gaza you also suffer with the Gazans, all of them, Christians and Muslims, because you cannot leave the Gaza Strip; you are imprisoned in a big ghetto. It's impossible for you to leave. Many people are looking for a better future, to go somewhere else; although I hate to say that, because I want to maintain a Christian presence in Gaza, but I also think of the poor young men and women there who have not at all any opportunity in life, nothing. The unemployment in Gaza is high, up to 45% and there are no opportunities for good education, or opportunities for work, no opportunities to live a decent life. You are talking about hell on earth.

Paul: How many Christians live in the Gaza Strip?