(National Review) Michael I. Krauss and J. Peter Pham - Christmas scenes from Bethlehem notwithstanding, Bethlehem is no longer a Christian city. Muslims now vastly outnumber the departing Christians, and minarets outnumber church spires. At the present rate, in 15 years the only Christians in Bethlehem will be the holiday tourists. And just last year, the terrorist group Hamas won elections in the city. If one wants to know what the situation would be like if Hamas took power, one need look no further than storied Bethlehem. In an interview published in the Wall Street Journal just before Christmas, Bethlehem city councilor and local Hamas leader Hassan El-Masalmeh advocated a special tax on non-Muslim residents of the future Palestinian state. The tax, known as al-jeziya, is required by the Koran for dhimmis, second-class Jews and Christians. "We in Hamas intend to implement this tax someday....We say it openly - we welcome everyone to Palestine but only if they agree to live under our rules."
2006-01-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive