Monks Gone Violent

When Jesus finished his journey on Earth, he probably didn't envision what happened today in Jerusalem:

Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion.

Two monks from each side were detained as dozens of worshippers traded kicks and punches at the shrine, said police.

Trouble flared as Armenians prepared to mark the annual Feast of the Cross.

Shocked pilgrims looked on as decorations and tapestries were toppled during Sunday's clash.

And what was this all about?:

The Greeks blamed the Armenians for not recognising their rights inside the holy site, while the Armenians said the Greeks had violated one of their traditional ceremonies.

It's very sad for this to happen at one of the holiest places of Christianity. It's worse to know monks started this brawl.

The West Bank Oktoberfest

Source: BBC News

Taybeh beer comes in a variety of different guises, from Dark to Gold, with a green-labelled non-alcoholic version in development.


The media is blamed for mostly reporting the bad news. So, when the media reports pleasant news for a change, especially from the Middle East, I have to give them credit. The BBC News reports:

Probably one of the things one least expects to come across on a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank is a high-spirited beer festival in full swing.

But that is exactly what visitors to the small Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh were treated to at the weekend.
[...]
One of the curiosities of the original Bavarian version is that it starts in September - something to do with timing of the brewing process.

This year, Taybeh's Oktoberfest also took place in September - although Mr Khoury [The brewey's owner] says he brought it forward out of respect for his Muslim neighbours, who begin their holy month of Ramadan this week.

I don't drink much beer. But, this festival sounds like fun.

When we lived in Dallas, we never missed The Grapefest. The pictures from the West Bank Oktoberfest reminded me of the good old days in Dallas when we attended the wine festival. Those were irreplaceable days and I miss them.

Thank You Pope Benedict XVI

I always liked The Pope. But my respect and admiration to him has increased lately. Why? Because The Pope is not afraid to speak his mind when it comes to the plight of the Iraqi Christians. Since he has gone public with his concerns, the mainstream media -- for a change -- started to pay attention to this subject.

Yesterday, The Pope met with the patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East to discuss the current situation of the Iraqi Christians. Here's some of the Pope's concerns as reported by the media:

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday he was greatly concerned about the fate of Christians in Iraq, returning to a theme he discussed with President Bush earlier this month.

The pope also denounced the slaying of a Catholic priest in Iraq as a "barbaric killing," and lamented the overall escalating violence in the Middle East for the second time in a week.

"Particularly in Iraq, the homeland of so many of the Assyrian faithful, Christian families and communities are feeling increasing pressure from insecurity, aggression and a sense of abandonment," Benedict said during an audience with the patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
[...]
"Many of them see no other possibility than to leave the country and to seek a new future abroad," the pontiff said. "These difficulties are a source of great concern to me, and I wish to express my solidarity with the pastors and the faithful of the Christian communities who remain there, often at the price of heroic sacrifices."

The Pope extends his concerns to the plight of all Christians in the Middle East:

Speaking of the Middle East on Thursday, Benedict expressed "pain and concern over the delicate situation" in the region, and said the Holy Land, Iraq and Lebanon were very much present in the church's prayers and action.

"The long-sought and long-awaited peace unfortunately is still largely offended," by violence, the pontiff said. Violence "often degenerates into war, whether or not declared, and ends up becoming a pressing international problem, as is today," he said.

"I knock on the heart of those who have specific responsibilities to ask that they adhere to the important duty of guaranteeing peace to everybody indistinctly, setting it free from the fatal disease of religious, cultural, historic or geographic discrimination."

In a pilgrimage Sunday in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, Benedict made one of his strongest appeals for an end to the "horrors" of fighting and terrorism in Iraq and the Middle East, and decried "the illusion" that force could resolve conflicts.

Thank you Pope Benedict for your concerns. It means so much for me and the other Iraqi and Middle Eastern Christians.

The Morrocan Muslim-Jewish Ties

It's rare to read pleasant news about the Arab-Jewish relations. But, there's always an exception. Serge Berdugo wrote in the Christian Science Monitor:

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO – As the flames of anti-Semitism continue to be fanned across much of the Islamic world, there is a risk that today's youth will grow up believing that Arabs and Jews were simply not meant to coexist, let alone thrive together.

That idea conflicts with history - and is a falsehood today. My country, Morocco, illustrates the viability and vitality of a Jewish community - my community - in an Arab country. It's a model of harmony other Muslim nations should follow.

And here's the good part of his article:

Morocco's leaders have always made the well-being of the Jewish people a top priority. During World War II, when the Vichy government of occupied France announced that it had prepared 200,000 yellow stars for the Jews of Morocco, King Mohammed V replied that he would need 50 more for him and his family. He refused to make any distinction between his citizens.

If rest of the world follow the tolerant spirit of the Moroccan society, the world would become a better places for all of us.