Followers of the Messiah
The Arab Christians - the Christians are named in Arabic 'Messahi' or' followers of
the Messiah' (derived from the Arabic word Masih or Messiah) are
Arabic speaking Christians or descendants of Arabic speaking Christians, who
are estimated to be around fifteen to twenty-five million worldwide. A
significant proportion of Arab Christians are under severe pressure, including
in countries such as Syria, home country of some 700.000 Arab Christians, and
Iraq, which has one of the world's oldest continuously living Christian
communities.
Israel also has a significant group of Arab Christians
(estimated 170.000 people), spread throughout the country. These communities,
which identify themselves as Arabic or Palestinian, claim that they go back to
the beginning of Christianity.
But the Arab-Christian communities also suffer in the Holy
Land, not least because of their less-than- enviable position in Israeli
society. Tertio went on a visit to the Arab-Christian village of
Fassouta, and found out why this village on the Israeli-Lebanese border wants
to put itself on the international tourist map.
Welcome to
Fassouta.
“Fassouta has no exit. Once you have entered the
village, you have to leave it on the same road ", says Edgar
Dakwar, Mayor of Fassouta.
The village of Fassouta is located on the flank of Mount
Meron, in the north of Israel, about an hour and a half drive from Nazareth.
This Christian village in Upper Galilea is hardly known,
despite the fact that it has great potential, especially for Christian pilgrims
who visit Christian sites in Israel.
With about three thousand inhabitants, Fassouta is the
largest Christian village in Israel. Next to Fassouta is the almost equally
large Christian neighboring village Ma' iliya. Both villages are the only two
villages in Israel with an exclusively Christian population. The Arabic-speaking
inhabitants adhere to an oriental faith, more precisely the Greek Catholic or Melkite
movement, which is said to be one of the oldest movements in Christianity. The
Melkites trace their origins back to the Christian community of Antiochia,
dating from the first century after Christ, when Christianity was introduced by
Saint Paul.
The patron saint of the village is Mar-Elias (mar is
Armenian for Saint). On the central square of Fassouta is a large statue of St
Elias. The inhabitants believe that the Saint protected them in 2006 when
missiles from Lebanon landed in the village, and when as by miracle nobody was
injured.
Another famous tradition of Fassouta is the annual Christmas
market, which attracts thousands of visitors from the surrounding villages, Christians, Jews and Muslims alike.
Re-branding
As part of the re-branding of Fassouta and the
surrounding villages of Ma' iliya and Ilabun as tourist destinations, I visit
the region as part of a group of fifty journalists from more than 20 different
countries. A group of Israeli journalists want to show us as many facets of the
country as possible, including less well-known places and sensitive issues.
At the entrance of Fassouta we are greeted by a more than
life-size Jesus statue, and by the fanfare of the village that accompanies us
to the church in the center of Fassouta. The fanfare, which consists of up to
thirty members, is composed of members of the Catholic Scouts of Fassouta. It
is just around sunset, which makes our arrival in Fassouta very atmospheric.
After a tour of the village and a meal prepared by local
women, we will meet the priest and mayor and spend the night with the local
people. This was the idea of Stella Ashkar, a journalist who lives with her
husband and two sons in Fassouta.
Youngsters
The guide who leads us through the village is thirty year
old Hatim. He returned to live in his hometown only two months ago, after
spending eight years in London, where he worked for Vidal Sassoon. Through
Facebook he got back into contact with a girl he knew from Fassouta, and after
many chats and Skype conversations he decided to give up his job in London and
fulfill his family's wish: to marry an Arab-Christian girl from the village.
Two months after his return, Hatim is full of doubts about his future and
whether he has made the right decision. Because he speaks English, he is now
trying to make a living as a guide. Unfortunately, he hardly has anything to
say about the history of the village, and he is not prepared for the arrival of
fifty international journalists/tourists.
Tourists in Fassouta are rather an unusual appearance. The
inhabitants hope to attract tourists from Europe, the United States and the
rest of the world, but have as an obstacle the fact that they - with a few rare
exceptions only speak Arabic. There are also no hotels or restaurants. According to Mayor Edgar Dakwar, the city
council has been making efforts for years to put Fassouta on the tourist map,
and to attract money from both government and private investors, but the
process of turning Fassouta into a tourist destination has been difficult.
Tourism
The question is whether the village is really ready for
tourists. The unfavorable location just next to the Lebanese border does not
make attracting visitors any easier, although the village has an interesting
history.
The oldest part of Fassouta dates from 1881 when the village
had about two hundred inhabitants. In 1517, Fassouta was incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire. It had Greek-Catholic and Muslim inhabitants -the latter,
however, were almost all driven out of the village or fled in 1948 - while most
Christians remained. As a result, the village now has an exclusively Christian
population.
We visit the Mar-Elias Church. This year it is the 110th
anniversary of the church. Although the exterior of the church gives a rather
modern impression, the interior oozes with beautiful icons. The icons occupy a
central place in the oriental or Byzantine rite, from the veneration for the
image of God and the saints. Christ, God's son, may be depicted in the Eastern
tradition.
Exodus
At the end of our guided tour we end up in an Irish pub, the
Grandfather House, an initiative of a returning villager, Jery Dakwar.
The racks are filled with up to fifty different types of spirits, and we are
treated to beer, including Hoegaarden and Leffe. The muscular and tatooed owner
of the pub lived for two years in Belgium and the Netherlands, where he
collaborated on theatre plays and musicals.
Mayor Edgar Dakwar declares himself satisfied with the
return of young people from abroad to Fassouta. Our conversation takes place in
a mixture of Arabic and English. According to Edgar Dakwar, Fassouta's main
problem is the lack of employment and the resulting exodus of young people from
the village. Most young people do not return after their studies outside
Fassouta. Through the Catholic Scouts - which are very proud of their
Arab-Christian and Palestinian origins - the mayor hopes to counteract the
depopulation.
Nevertheless, Fassouta has three thousand inhabitants,
making it the largest Christian village in Israel. The level of education is
high. According to 2000 figures, 60,5 % of young people passed the Bagrut
matriculation exam, comparable to the Baccalauréat in France.
Many young people from Fassouta become doctors, engineers or lawyers.
Another major problem is the geographical location of the
village. Due to the proximity of the Lebanese border, the village is isolated.
There is only one street, along which you enter and exit the village to Haifa
or Nazareth. According to Mayor Edgar Dakwar, the inhabitants of Fassouta are
not allowed to cross the border to Lebanon, not even to visit family members.
There is no industry in Fassouta to provide jobs for young
people, nor does agriculture (especially olive-growing), which we did in the
1950s, 1960s and 1970s, produce enough anymore ", notes Edgar Dakwar with
regret.
“Recently, we joined forces with 66 other Arab villages in
Israel and approached the government to denounce the injustice that Jewish
villages and towns receive far more subsidies than their Arab counterparts. A
conference was organized and we were promised that our 67 Arab villages will
receive USD 2.5 million over the next five years”.
Dakwar considers this as a historic first step, although the
sum granted is far from sufficient to put Fassouta on an equal footing with the
Jewish villages. Nevertheless, he decided to "participate in this process,
to talk and negotiate by legal means" and "so that justice can take
place". Dakwar also emphasises:"As a minority we want peace here and
in the rest of the world".
War
What is not mentioned by any of the villagers during our
stay is the delicate geographical position of Fassouta, on the front line
between Israel and Lebanon. In 2006 the village was bombed with Katyusha missiles
for months and in response, the Israeli army sent artillery batteries to
Fassouta, which they set up in the village. The inhabitants were forced to
leave their homes and were evacuated by the Israeli government to so-called protected
areas. This meant that normal daily life and all economic activities were
stopped. Normally Israeli villages on a front line receive compensation for the
economic damage suffered.
Not so for the Arab villages, however. Various residents of
Fassouta subsequently lodged complaints with the Higher Court of Appeal. One of
them, Suleiman Haalek, remembers the war very well. As the owner of a popular
pizzeria in Fassouta since 1997, he lost around ten thousand euros as a result
of the war. “Before the war, my pizzeria was a meeting point for the youngsters
of the village. At least half of the young people came by daily, and my
delivery service reached almost every house in the village and in the
surrounding villages”, says Haalek. Another complaint came from engineer Raik
Matar, who carried out construction work in Fassouta and the surrounding area.
During the period that he was banned from moving outside the protected areas,
the construction works were shut down and he lost in the amount of many
thousands of euros, plus his office costs and contributions for various
insurances. If his office had been in a Jewish village, the state would have
paid him back the entire sum”, says his lawyer Dahwar.
Small
community with a big heart.
“We are Israeli but not Jewish, Arab but not
Muslim, Catholic but not Roman Catholic”, said priest Michael Asi.
I meet priest Michael Asi, spiritual leader of the Greek
Catholic or Melkite community of Fassouta, together with my Italian colleague
Alberto Custadero, who works for La Republicca. Priest Asi speaks to us
half in Arabic, half in Italian, and is animated when he tells us about his
last stay in Rome, two months ago. “Many people in Europe do not know that
Christians are still living everywhere in Israel", deplores priest Asi. He
himself was confronted with this when he studied in Rome. When I was asked
about my origins, I said that I was' from the Holy Land'. But every time I said
that I am Israeli, but not Jew, the surprise was great. Moreover, when I added
that I am Arab, but not a Muslim; and Catholic, but not Roman Catholic, they
looked at me as if I came from another planet”.
The doctrine that priest Asi follows is that of the
Greek-Catholic or Melkite Church. He tells us that this movement goes back to
"the first century after Christ, when Christianity was introduced by the
first apostles (for the ‘apostles’, he uses the Arabic word roesoel which
means' messengers' - in Islam the word rasoel Allah is used for the
prophet Mohamed).
Priest Asi says that in contrast to the West, where the
church is more centrally run, there are many movements among Eastern
Christians, with several patriarchs or bishops with powers over certain church
areas. “As Greek Catholics, however, we recognise the Pope as the head of the
church, but when we celebrate Mass, we do so according to the Byzantine rite”, states
priest Asi.
Byzantine
The fact that the worship of the Melkites takes place according
to the Byzantine rite is an important remnant of the times when Palestine was
part of the Byzantine Empire and was under Hellenistic influence (hence the
term Greek-Catholic). The believers assume that the liturgy of the Eastern
Christians goes back to the rites of the apostles in Jerusalem.
Unlike some Eastern churches, where worship still takes
place in the language of Jesus, Aramaic, the worship of the Melkites is held in
Arabic, the language they took over from Arab conquerors in the seventh
century.
Rome or Constantinople
An important turning point in the history of the Melkites
was the moment when "the East no longer recognized the pope as the head of
the church, and the West did not take the East into account ", to quote
Michael Asi. The West considered the Catholic Church and Rome to be the center
of Christianity, while the East had its own seat in Constantinople”, said priest
Asi.
The priest thus refers to the so-called' Great schism', when
in 1054 a difference in insight into the role of the Holy Spirit gave rise to a
rift between the Eastern Orthodox church and the church in Rome.
Catholic
But in the eighteenth century, part of the Eastern Orthodox
Church decided to return under the authority of the Pope. That is why we call
ourselves Greek Catholic”, explains Michael Asi. Since 1742, the Greek Catholic
Church has been in full communion with the church in Rome.
In addition to the liturgical differences, the Greek
Catholic Church has other differences, particularly in the area of canonics.
Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, it is customary in the Greek Catholic Church
for priests to marry and found a family (the celibacy only applies to bishops).
According to the priest, the inhabitants of Fassouta are very pious. We have no trouble filling the church, unlike many Christian communities
in the West”, said Michael Asi. On the contrary, the church is actually far too
small for the thousands of believers who attend Sunday worship services. Our
faith is also reflected in the way we live. We try to do as much good as
possible for our community and beyond. Everyone is committed to each other. An
example are our Catholic Scouts. We try to teach them as many Christian values
as possible and to make them an active part of the community, in the hope that
the community will continue to take on great significance in their future lives”,
concludes priest Asi.
Israeli
or Arabic Christians?
“When we say that we are Israeli, we are considered
traitors by the Arabs. And if we say that we are Arab, this is taken badly by
the Israelis”, summarizes priest Michael Asi.
Arab Christians are an integral part of the very colorful
Israeli society. They can be described as Israeli citizens whose linguistic
heritage or ethnic identity is defined as Arabic. Today, they account for 2% of
the Israeli population.
However, the Arab Christians or Christian Arabs, as they are
also called in Israel, face numerous problems.
For example, it is difficult to preserve their individuality
and survival as Christian communities, as these are often scattered small
communities. A prime example are the villages of Fassouta, Mi' iliya and
Ilabun, which, because of their geographical position, are cut off from other
(Palestinian) Christian villages, as well as from the rest of Israel (they are
located in the far north of Israel).
Loyalty
Moreover, Christians in Israel are in a dilemma when it
comes to their identity. On the one hand, they are Israeli citizens. On the
other hand, however, many of them also feel connected with Palestine, which is
often their country of origin. Priest Michael Asi tells me that his father was
born in Fassouta, in Palestine at the time. But the fact that they also define
themselves as Arabic or even Palestinian Christians is a thorn in the eye of the
Israeli state. Eighty per cent of the Christians living in Israel are defined
as Christian Arabs, and many of them identify themselves as Palestinian
Christians. Although a small proportion of Israeli Christians dissociate
themselves from the designation' Arab Christians' and hence also from their
Islamic counterparts, most Israeli Christians today regard themselves
culturally and linguistically as Arab or Palestinian Christians, with ancestors
dating back to Christ's first followers.
Discrimination
Moreover, because the Arab-Christian communities fall under
the designation' Arabic localities' used by the Israeli authorities, they
suffer discrimination from the government. This reduces their resources and
makes it difficult for them to offer the local youth prospects for the future.
In September 2014, Christians were given an independent
representation in the Parliamentary Committee for Equal Opportunities in the Labor
Market. In reality, however, equal
opportunities are still a long way off. It suffices to visit villages and
cities with an Arab population and compare them with predominantly Jewish
villages and cities.
A visit to Nazareth's Town Hall shows the dire situation in
which the' Arab localities' find themselves. The building in which the mayor
and the town council are located is far too small and is clearly dating back to
the seventies. But because Nazareth only consists of an Arabs, there is no
money for renovation. A striking contrast with the brand-new building of the
Haifa municipality.
The radiance of the Christians in Israel seems to be
diminishing. An example: Nazareth, of which the population consisted some ten years ago of 60% of Christians, nowadays counts 70% Muslims and only 30% Christians.
Division
Another challenge is the diversity within Israel's Christian
community. The majority of Christians in Israel (and in particular the Arab
Christians) belong to the Greek Catholic Church. The rest of the Israeli
Christians are mainly associated with Eastern Orthodox churches, which are
often linked to the specific ethnic identity of these Christian communities,
such as the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian
Church and the Ethiopian Church.
The inhabitants of Fassouta and Mal' iliya adhere almost
exclusively to the Greek Catholic Church. But even in a village with only three
thousand inhabitants such as Fassouta, there appears to be divisions within the
Christian community. For example, a (smaller) section of the population appears
to be adhering to the movement of the movement of the neochatechumenal way, a
new Catholic movement which enjoys a big popularity among Israeli Christians.
This movement draws its inspiration from the catechumenate of the early
Catholic Church and the preparation of converts from paganism for baptism. This
highly charismatic movement successfully recruits numerous new converts.
Eastern
Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Melkite.
“The church is one, but we - in the east - tried to
make as many different versions of it as possible", smile priest
Asi.
The first Christian communities in Roman Palestine would
have been Aramaic speaking Messianic Jews. Unlike the Assyrian Nestorians - a
branch of the very widespread Syrian Orthodox Christianity - the majority of
Palestinian Christians decided, after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A. D., to
merge into the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople and the Roman emperors, the part of the church that after the ‘Great
Schism’ of 1054 would be part of the
orthodox church. Due to the fact that they joined the Roman emperors, the
Syrian Orthodox Christians described the Palestinian Christians as "Melkites"
(derived from the Arab word malik, which means "king"), in
other words, "followers of the kingdom/Kingdom".
In the following centuries the Melkites underwent a very
strong Hellenistic influence and exchanged their western Aramaic dialect for
Greek. At that time (seventh century) Jerusalem and Byzantine Palestine became
the epicenter of Greek culture in the Levant/ Middle East.
Schism
In 1054 the so-called "Great schism" took place
within the Christian church, the schism between the Roman Catholic church on
one side and the Eastern Orthodox churches on the other side. The Melkites
became part of the Eastern Orthodox churches.
The disagreement between the Western and Eastern church had
been going on for a long time and was partly due to the fact that the Western
church considered the Patriarch of Rome (the Pope) to be the highest of the
five patriarchs. The Oriental church, however, considered the five patriarchs
to be equal and saw Constantinople as' the new Rome'. This situation led to a
deadlock when the Pope claimed authority over the four Eastern Patriarchs,
while the Patriarch of Constantinople claimed himself to be an ecumenical
Patriarch, which the Pope misinterpreted as an indication of' universal
Patriarch', which was therefore contested by the Western Church. The direct
cause of the schism, however, was the disagreement over the so-called' trinity
doctrine'. According to the Latin Church, the Holy Spirit comes from God the
Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit receives his personality from God the
Father and from God the Son. The Orthodox Church does not recognize this and
has retained the original form based on Christ's words, which state that the
Holy Spirit arises" from the Father ", without any addition, such as "and
the Son ".
Melkites worldwide
The region formed by the modern Israel and the Palestinian
state is considered as the' Holy Land' by Christians and thus also by the Melkites,
with as important holy cities Nazareth and Jerusalem in Israel, and Bethlehem
in Palestine.
In June 2017, Patriarch Youssef Absi was elected Archbishop
of the Greek Catholic Melkites, a month after the Vatican accepted the
resignation of his predecessor Gregory III Laham.
Although the Melkite Catholic Church has Byzantine roots and
follows the Byzantine rite for the liturgy, this church is fully in communion
with the Catholic Church, especially after the reconfirmation of the union with
Rome in 1724.
Melkite Christians live all over the world in Palestine,
Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand,
Brazil, Canada, France, Mexico, the United States, Venezuela and Sweden.
Worldwide they are about 1.6 million.
In Israel, Greek Catholics (or Melkites) are the largest
group of Christians. The majority of some 133,000 Arab Christians, who are
themselves as indigenous, describe themselves as Melkite.
The rest of the Israeli-Arab Christians belong mainly to
several Eastern Orthodox churches which also have their roots in the Middle
East, such as the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Coptic-Orthodox Church (the
largest Christian denomination in Egypt), the Armenian Church and the Ethiopian
Church. Israel also has an important Maronite community, an oriental church
that remained in communion with the church in Rome (and therefore did not join
the Orthodox movement in 1054) and still holds its worship in Aramaic, the
language of Christ. A small minority of Christians belongs to the Anglican or
Lutheran church. There are also numerous Evangelistmovements in Israel, which
are enjoying increasing popularity among Israeli Christians.
