December 31, 2015
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has welcomed the decision by the British Daily Express to remove Israel from an article that originally listed the Jewish state as the most dangerous country for Christians to be during Christmas. According to the article, Israel oppresses its Christian population by telling Christians in Bethlehem to tone down their Christmas celebrations. The list also included Syria, Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and Pakistan.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“It was outrageous, misleading and false for the Daily Express to include Israel on the list, let alone place it at the top. As is widely acknowledged, Israel is the only country in the Middle East that protects the rights of its Christian population. When the Daily Express noted that Christians are being told to “tone down their Christmas celebrations” they omitted to mention that it was the Palestinian Authority that issued this communication based on advice that groups aligned with ISIS may attack the Christian community in Bethlehem. I suggest the Daily Express editors read the Freedom House 2014 report that ranks Israel as one of the freest countries in the world and further states that: “While Israel’s founding documents define it as a “Jewish and democratic state”, freedom of religion is respected. Christian, Muslim, and Baha’i communities have jurisdiction over their own members in matters of marriage, divorce, and burial.”
In a region plagued by forced conversions, beheadings, torture and ethnic cleansing of Christians by ISIS and other extremist movements, Israel is the only nation where the Christian population is prospering, and the only state that defends Christians from persecution and violence at the hands of radical Islamists. In fact, since Israel’s establishment, its Christian population has increased by more than 300 percent, and its population of Arab Christians has increased by more than 270 percent.”
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677
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