It is indisputable that Christians have a rightful place in the Middle East. There existence predates Islam and peaceful co-existence has been the rule for centuries. Saladin liberated Jerusalem and allowed all Christians who wanted to stay to continue living in their holy city. The Crusaders, on the other hand, prohibited Muslims from living in Jerusalem.

The period of Arab nationalism brought about secularism that established Christians on an equal level with Muslims. Today, Christians are prominent in Arab politics, journalism and entertainment. Secularism is the rule in most Arab countries and thriving Christian communities exist in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. The Christians in Iraq and Palestine are suffering though not because of Islam, but due respectively to the Iraq war and the Israeli occupation. Of course, Arab Muslims are also suffering from that.

But it is also true that discrimination exists against Christians. Saudi Arabia bans Churches and even private worship. Coptic Christians, 10% of Egyptians, are singled out for vandalism by Islamic fundamentalists. It is important that Arabs of all stripes stand in favor of equality between Muslims and Christians, and Jews in the Middle East. If any discrimination exists against Arab Christians it should be identified and properly denounced. I, for instance, abhor Hamas for it embraces an ideology that would render Palestinian Christians second-class citizens. It find this intolerably offensive. Palestinian Christians like Isa al-Isa stood up against Zionism long before anyone in Hamas was ever born [Isa al-Isa was editor for the Filistine newspaper during the British mandate; Isa is “Jesus” in Arabic.]. George Habash gave all his effort to Palestine. Palestinian Christians have died in the struggle to free their homeland from Zionist occupation. They did not fight, and do not continue to fight so that Zionist tyranny can be replaced by the backward thugs of Hamas.

I believe in secularism and equal rights, Christians have as much right to build Churches in Muslim countries as Muslims have the right to build Mosques in Christian-majority nations.

I agree with the columnist. But there is one thing that really irritates me. He highlights the plight of Iraqi Christians as if it is divorced from Iraq’s current plight brought on by the invasion by American troops. He states as if it is only Iraqi Christians who are suffering and only Iraqi Christian religious leaders who have been killed; and everything is all fine for Muslims in Iraq. No Muslims and Christians are suffering in Iraq, and the suffering of the latter is not due to any intolerance by Iraqi Muslims but simply to the sectarian fighting that broke out after the invasion. Sunnis, Shias and Christians are all not immune. And the ones attacking Christians most are America’s Kurdish allies. The Kurds are attacking Christians in Mosul simply because they want Mosul to be rid of Arabs so that it can become part of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds would like to rid Mosul of Sunnis as well, but the Sunnis are a larger minority so the Kurds instead go after a defenseless minority that happens to be Christians. In response to this, Iraqi Christians are starting to build towns in the center of Sunni towns so the Sunni towns will act as a buffer against Kurdish attacks. The Kurds will not cross Sunni towns in fear of provoking them. It is false to highlight the admittedly sad state of Iraqi Christians as if this is just a peculiar facet in Iraq. As if Iraqi Christians are the only ones suffering and deserving of sympathy. And even more false to portray their plight as something having to do with Islamic intolerance rather than sectarian zero-sum politics.

Palestinians are suffering in Iraq too. The Shia militias have killed numerous Palestinians living in Iraq and have driven nearly all 14,000 of them into tent camps in no-mans-land between the Syrian and Iraqi border. The Palestinians are attacked by Shias because they were deemed to be given preferential treatment under Saddam, which is dubious. Does this mean that the Shias hate all Palestinians? No, of course not. What is shows is that groups are actuated by notions of land gains and revenge, and that Islam or even nationalism is not always the proper paradigm to understand events in the Middle East.

[This is where the Palestinians live in Iraq now. Only a handful of nations - Iceland, Brazil, Chile and a few others - have accepted to take them in. The United States has not let in one Palestinian. You see, here in America they are people who are worthy of sympathy and others whom are deemed inferior. The Palestinians, even in the mind of Obama, rank in the latter group.]

And, finally, if Barack Obama found it necessary to write a latter expressing concern for the Christians in Iraq [again, I find it offensive to signal out one people for sympathy implying that they are the only ones suffering and as if they are more worthy of sympathy], why doesn’t Obama express sympathy for another targeted minority in Iraq: the Palestinians? The UN lists the Palestinians in Iraq as the most vulnerable people in the Middle East, more than Iraqi Christians. Why doesn’t Obama recognize their suffering through words and/or allowing them refugee in the United States? O’ wait, I forgot, he would never do that. It is a cardinal sin to show any sympathy for the Palestinians in American politics.