Christians and Israel Defense Forces
7 May 2014 - 7 Iyyar 5774Categories : Israel, IDFby Ricardo Ruiz de la SernaSource : elmed.io
nadaf
The
man in the picture is called Gabriel Nadaf , is a Greek Orthodox priest
Japhia , a village between Migdal Haemek and Nazareth , and chairs the
Recruitment Forum Christian Youth . Everyone
knows him as father and his name resonates Nadaf by all Christian
communities in Israel and the Middle East , because this young priest
has done something revolutionary : has invited young Arabic-speaking
Christians living in Israel to join their Defence Forces the IDF . Since the establishment of the forum, the number of enrollments doubled and round hundred. In numerical terms are very few soldiers , but at the symbolic level is a lot.
Therefore, the matter has unnerved many people. First,
the Patriarch of Jerusalem , who sees the initiative a risk to the
Christian communities living in the territory of the Palestinian
Authority. They pay , he says, the military commitment of Christians in Israel. The truth is that the argument is a bit weak, because that means admitting that communities serve as political hostages . In
fact, the debate is rather there: to break the spiral of second-class
citizenship and dhimmitude suffering Christians in Islamic societies. Refinements
can be made - the PA is different from Egypt, but I find that
inequality suffered by Christians against Muslims is clear. The
contrast between religious freedom and conscience that exists in Israel
and the absence of all that suffering , for example, the Palestinian
Authority, is sensational . So , the question is whether the trust that Christians themselves out of the situation is possible. For now , he has come to talk of schism risk but I think the word is excessive. It is true that a challenge to the commitment that Christians had so far with the Israel Defense Forces .
In
addition to the Patriarch , Gabriel Nadaf worries the Islamists who
have enjoyed gave them the legitimacy to speak on behalf of " the Arabs"
gathering under that name to the Muslim majority and Christian
minority. This
had been reinforced by the memory of the pan-Arab movement inspiring
Christians and those who resorted to terrorism to fight against the
State of Israel. Secularism has given those movements in favor of the strength of political Islam , if I may redundancy. The
example of Egypt Morsi , who had to be overthrown by a military coup
and the suffering of the Copts joined the dreadful sight of civil war in
Syria , a few kilometers from the border with Israel, where Christians
suffer violence by jihadists fighting against Assad. Nadaf Israel sees the key to the liberation of Christians.
Since then , the issue is thorny . On the one hand , is a debate within Christian communities themselves . The
introduction of a new term to refer to them - Arabic-speaking
Christians , instead of the classic " Arabs" that groups together with
the Muslims is the tip of the iceberg of a change in the game of power
and relations of the State of Israel and Christian communities in the Middle East. So
far, the religious leaders enjoyed preeminence offered them represent a
community that was different precisely because of their faith , so that
it conditioned its citizens. Breaking
this link is to admit that the full rights is independent of the faith
that is professed and religion - the right to be who you want or do not
have any , which is still anathema to many, can not determine the catalog of rights in the political community . The
transition from " Arab " to " Arabic-speaking Christians " or , even
more , " Israeli Christians " opens many unknowns in a region where
religion does not refer only to belief but to full membership of a
social group. Religious identity influences the network of relations , labor market ,
marriage , cycling holidays and even , and this is crucial in Israel,
in military service .
Thus, this discussion relates to the obligation to serve in the
Israeli Army for all without exception and with the religious dilemma
between secularism and confessional time to time shaking the foundations
of the State of Israel.
Incorporating
Christians - perhaps the army on the model of the Bedouin or Druze ,
however volunteer you will, is a very important in the narrative of
Israel change. The entry of Christians reinforce the idea of the inherently
democratic nature of the state and would be an example and a contrasting
pattern for the Christian communities in Egypt , Iraq , Turkey and
Jordan.
Moreover, service in the Israel Defense Forces would be the channel for the full integration of Christians in Israeli society. As
recalled Dan Senor and Saul Singer in Start -Up Nation , young people
leaving military service fill the ranks of high-tech enterprises and
enjoy the contacts and friendships that will you from buying a home to
find partners for a project business . Military experience is thus a channel of socialization and social mobility that Christians would benefit Israel . For now , the Army will address Christians personally by letter when
they reach the age of pointing recruitment , if any , military service
is voluntary.
The father and escorted Nadaf will be careful. There have been attacks against him and members of his organization. However, it is possible that the Christians of the Middle East no longer fit them many alternatives. The
Syria have had to take up arms to fight for Assad and Lebanon are
concerned about the growing weakness of the national army against the
power of Hezbollah. Across the region , from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean , Christians are becoming less and are increasingly isolated . The pan-Arab dream of secular states which exceed that religious division has failed. The oldest Christian communities in the world only survive in
democratic societies, where religious freedom is a value and not a
problem .
http://elmed.io/los-cristianos-y-las-fuerzas-de-defensa-de-israel/
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