Islamic solidarity and popular condemnation of the lone attack on Gaza's Latin monastery church

Media 24 / Gaza / Ahmed al-Fayoumi / Father George Hernandez, pastor of the Christian Latin Convent church in the Gaza Strip, denied today (Sunday) that the church had held the Islamic State organisation in Iraq and the Levant “Daesh”, headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, or any other party, responsible for the recent assault to which the church was exposed.
A large explosion occurred and parts of a car belonging to the church burned last Wednesday, in addition to the writing of slogans on the walls attacking “the Christians”, in response to what the Muslims of Central Africa are exposed to of killings at the hands of Christian militias.
Father Hernandez said, during a solidarity visit by representatives of civil society, journalists, and rights advocates headed by the director of the “Pal-Think for Strategic Studies” institution Omar Shaban: “We did not accuse the Daesh organisation or any other party of the assault that took place against the Latin Convent church”.
Father Hernandez recalled the Islamic-Christian coexistence in the holy Palestinian lands in which the Christian Lord, peace be upon him, “Jesus”, lived, and the common denominators that bind the components of society in all its categories and communities.
He said: “It is a duty that we preserve together the holy places, whether Christian or Islamic”, demanding the necessity of not linking what goes on in Central Africa of internal conflict with attacking the Christians in the holy lands.
He added: “Although there were written on the walls of the church that was exposed to the bombing slogans threatening revenge for the Muslims of Central Africa, we reject any killing by a Christian of a Muslim, or the reverse, from a religious and moral standpoint”, denouncing any killing that takes place in any place on a sectarian basis.
He made clear that the church's work relates to the social side and it has no other concerns, save spreading love and tolerance among the sons of the one people in all their communities and affiliations, stressing the necessity of uncovering the perpetrators of the assault on the church and bringing them to justice.
The pastor of the Latin Convent church welcomed the visit of the delegation in solidarity with the Christian brothers, which included many students, journalists, and rights advocates, saying: “We have lived a history together and we will remain together”.
From his side, the director of the “Pal-Think for Strategic Studies institution”, Omar Shaban, affirmed that what the Latin Convent church was exposed to conflicts with the morals of the Palestinian people, their culture, and their heritage, saying: “The Latin Convent church is part of the Palestinian heritage”.
He added: “Palestine is the homeland of all and the land of tolerance (…) everything that happens in Palestinian society of killing and assault we reject with a categorical rejection, and we reject the use of religion to justify the killings”.
He continued: “Religion was not created for killing but for unifying the nation, for purity, and for unifying the peoples in order to achieve the goals of development and prosperity”, calling on the Palestinian government, the political forces, and the men of religion in the mosques to bear their responsibilities and make society aware of the necessity of tolerance.
He said: “What happened with the Latin Convent church is against Palestinian society in its entirety, and we must stand one serious stand against those acts that destroy the fabric of society from within”.
The director of the Pal-Think for Strategic Studies institution reassured the Christian community in the Gaza Strip that Palestinian society in its entirety denounces what happened and stands one stand against these actions, pledging to continue working with all the strata of society to preserve and defend the Christians and their rights.
In the same context, the head of the Supreme Council of the Sharia Judiciary in Gaza, Hassan al-Jojo, met the Christian community, and denounced the assaults of some individuals on the “Latin Convent” church in Gaza, and the writing of some slogans “offensive to the Christians” on some of its walls.
Al-Jojo described, during a visit to the church that coincided with the visit of a delegation of representatives of civil society, journalists, and rights advocates, the perpetrators as “some ignorant persons”, calling on the Muslims and Christians in Gaza to avoid what happens of conflicts between the two religions outside the country.
He said: “We are here in consolidation and crowning of the distinguished relation between the Muslims and the Christians of the sons of our people, whose blood has mingled together in confronting the Israeli occupation”.
The representatives of the national and Islamic forces in the Gaza Strip condemned the incident of the assault to which the Latin Convent church was exposed, warning of the attempts to touch the unity and coexistence between the Muslims and the Christians.
The forces' representatives demanded of the government in the Strip the uncovering of the perpetrators of the assault on the church and bringing them to trial, calling for renouncing discord and strengthening unity continually, and not giving the kindlers of discord any opportunity to achieve their goals.
The number of Christians in the Gaza Strip, which is inhabited by about one million and 700 thousand Palestinians, is close to 3500 souls, and their relations with the Muslims are described as “positive”.
There exist in the Strip a number of Christian churches, such as the “Church of Saint Porphyrius” in the Zaytoun quarter east of Gaza City, which was built in the fourth century AD, and the “Latin Convent” church, which was exposed to a bombing by unknown persons two days ago.
There also exist a number of Christian institutions that present social services to the Muslims and the Christians alike, most prominently: the “Young Men's Christian Association” and the “association of the union of the Middle East Council of Churches”, not to mention the private schools, among them the “Holy Family school”, the “Latin Patriarchate school”, and the “Rosary Sisters school” — all of them schools in which Muslims work.