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Religion Palestinians are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. Most mosques on most Fridays in most Palestinian towns and refugee camps are filled with men and boys. Just like “Christians” in the west, not all Palestinian Muslims practice their faith. It may vary some with specific location and time, but there is strong social pressure to conform, at least outwardly, to the tenants of Islam. Many associate Palestinians with Hamas. Hamas, the Islamic political party now in control in Gaza, is considered by many to be a terrorist organization. They have many supporters among Palestinians in general. Hamas differs from groups like Al Qaeda. Their goal is an Islamic Palestinian State rather than worldwide jihad. Many Palestinian Moslems pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan and are committed, observant Moslems without being sympathetic to Hamas or the broader Islamist agenda.  Many Westerns are surprised to learn that there are also Palestinian Christians. Many are the descendants of the early church in Jerusalem. Others trace their roots to Europeans who settled in the area after the Crusades. A recent article in National Geographic notes that in 1894, Christians were 13% of the population, but are less than 2% today. The article describes some of the current challenges faced by Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. Another good source of information about Palestinian Christians is Kincaid & Brackin’s book, Between 2 Fires: The Untold Story of Palestinian Christians. While we haven’t seen anything in print, it has been our observation that Palestinian Christian Refugees outside Gaza and the West Bank have been largely absorbed into the indigenous Christian community in those countries. They may still identify themselves as Palestinian, but they are involved more with local Christians than in the refugee community. The relationship between Palestinian Christians and Moslems has fluctuated. Over the last few years, they have mostly lived quietly together. However, in October 2007, Rami Ayyad, a Palestinian Christian in Gaza, was killed for his faith. He was an employee of the Palestinian Bible Society. You can read more about Rami on the Bible Society website. Rami’s martyrdom has created a tension between the two societies that continues until now. Hamas is strengthening its Islamic agenda in Gaza to the extent of limiting Christian printed materials and prohibiting the use of alcoholic beverages even among its Christian population.
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