The Sunday Times - UK (2021-12-19)

The Sunday Times December 19, 2021 23

NEWS

Christmas is a time when we think about

the land of the Bible. We hear readings

and sing carols that name Jerusalem,

Nazareth and Bethlehem. These are

places that are familiar to billions of

Christians, whether they have visited

them or not. But we should not romanti-

cise them — and especially not this

Christmas.

Last week church leaders in Jerusalem

raised an unprecedented and urgent

alarm call. In a joint statement they said

Christians throughout the Holy Land

had become the target of frequent and

sustained attacks by fringe radical

groups.

They described “countless incidents”

of physical and verbal assaults against

priests and other clergy, and attacks on

Christian churches. They spoke of holy

sites being regularly vandalised and des-

ecrated, and the ongoing intimidation of

local Christians as they go about their

worship and daily lives.

The Romanian Orthodox monastery

in Jerusalem was vandalised during Lent

in March this year, the fourth attack in a

month. During Advent last December,

someone lit a fire in the Church of All

EGYPT

ISRAEL

Gaza

West

Bank

JORDAN

SYRIA

Jaffa Jerusalem

Tel Aviv

MEDITERRANEAN

SEA

aa DEAD SEA

West

Bank

Jeruss

20 miles

Bethlehem

Israel

Palestinian territories

Source: CIA World Factbook /

Israeli central bureau of

statistics / Palestinian central

bureau of statistics

Jewish Muslim

Christian

Druze

Other

75% 17.5%

3.9%

2%

1.6%

86% 13%

1%

JUSTIN WELBY AND

HOSAM NAOUM

Let us pray for the Christians

being driven from the Holy Land

Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane,

the place where Jesus prayed the night

before he was crucified. It is usually a

place of pilgrimage for Christians from

around the world, and the vandals are

thought to have taken advantage of the

lack of visitors due to the pandemic.

These tactics are being used by such

radical groups “in a systematic attempt

to drive the Christian community out of

Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy

Land”, the Jerusalem church leaders

said in their statement.

That is why, when you speak to Pales-

tinian Christians in Jerusalem today, you

will often hear this cry: “In 15 years’

time, there’ll be none of us left!”

This crisis takes place against a centu-

ry-long decline in the Christian popula-

tion in the Holy Land. In 1922, at the end

of the Ottoman era, the number of Chris-

tians in the Holy Land was estimated at

73,000; about 10 per cent of the popula-

tion. In 2019, Christians constituted less

than 2 per cent of the population of the

Holy Land: a massive drop in less than

100 years.

In Israel, the overall number of Chris-

tians has risen. The imminent reopening

of St Peter’s Anglican Church in Jaffa,

which has been closed for more than 70

years, is encouraging. But in east Jerusa-

lem, the central place for pilgrimage and

the site of the Church of the Holy Sepul-

chre — where Christ is believed to have

been crucified — there is a steady

decline. Church leaders believe that

there are now fewer than 2,000 Chris-

tians left in the Old City of Jerusalem.

tries, hospitals and church-based

schools. Christians are good news for the

region!

Christians in Israel enjoy democratic

and religious freedoms that are a beacon

in the region. But the escalation of physi-

cal and verbal abuse of Christian clergy,

and the vandalism of holy sites by fringe

radical groups, are a concerted attempt

to intimidate and drive them away.

Meanwhile, the growth of settler com-

munities and travel restrictions brought

about by the West Bank separation wall

have deepened the isolation of Christian

villages and curtailed economic and

social possibilities.

All of these factors have contributed

to a steady stream of Palestinian Chris-

tians leaving the Holy Land to seek lives

and livelihoods elsewhere — a historic

tragedy unfolding in real time.

It does not have to be this way. This

trend can be reversed — but action must

be taken fast. We encourage govern-

ments and authorities in the region to lis-

ten to church leaders in their midst: to

engage in the practical conversations

that will lead to vital Christian culture

and heritage being guarded and sus-

tained. The time for action is now.

Over the Advent period, it’s tempting

to be seduced by cosy visions of the

Christmas story — twinkling stars, exotic

visitors, the painless birth of a baby who

does not cry. The reality would have

been very different: this is a story of

God’s embrace of humanity in all its

messiness.

The first Christmas tells us of God

coming into our world among ordinary

lives of human struggle. In the fore-

ground is a refugee family, against the

backdrop of the genocide of infants.

There’s not much in there about lullabies

and cuddly farm animals.

So let’s get real this Christmas. When

we sing O Little Town of Bethlehem, or

Once in Royal David’s City, let’s hear the

voice of the church of the Holy Land —

and thank them for their gift to all of us.

Let’s pray for their flourishing and their

future: a future intertwined with the

future prosperity and common good of

all communities.

Woven through the first Christian story

is a message of hope and of good news

for all people — a small light that can

never be put out. Whatever your religion

or belief, may you know the peace and

joy of the Christ-child this Christmas.

Justin Welby is Archbishop of Canterbury

Hosam Naoum is Anglican Archbishop

in Jerusalem

In the birthplace of the church, worshippers are dwindling in the face of intimidation and discrimination

Radical

groups

are

forcing

them

out of

their

homes

This is the land recognised by 2.5 bil-

lion Christians worldwide as the birth-

place of the church. Yet Christians, who

have been a continuous presence for

more than 2,000 years, are too often

obscured and even forgotten amid the

competing perceptions of the geopoli-

tics of the Middle East. The Christian

presence punches above the weight of its

numbers.

A recent study by the University of Bir-

mingham estimates that the tourism

industry generated by the Christian heri-

tage of the Holy Land brings more than

$3 billion into the region’s economy. The

Palestinian Christian population is a

highly educated group that contributes

beyond its numbers to high-tech indus-

OUM

Call 0151 284 2336, go to

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TO DONATE

Four years ago, Sam, a

17-year-old Syrian with

dreams of becoming a doctor,

arrived in London with his

family after fleeing his

country’s civil war.

With his parents and his

three brothers, he had spent

years outrunning bombs,

terrorists, poverty and

persecution since the chaos

erupted a decade ago.

As an 11-year-old, Sam saw

his primary school in

Damascus bombed. As a

teenager, he lost family

members in terrorist attacks,

and worked 13-hour days in a

shisha bar to support the

family, rather than going to

school.

Then, almost overnight, his

life changed when he and his

family were offered a home in

the UK through a refugee

resettlement programme run

by the United Nations.

“It was green. It was

beautiful. There were sheep,”

said Sam, as he recalled

landing in the UK and being

driven from Gatwick to his

new home in West Ham, east

London. “I knew that this was

our home.”

Arriving was the easy part,

however. He had to build his

life from scratch, but did not

speak a word of English, knew

no one and had not been in

formal education since his

school was destroyed. As he

was about to turn 18, he was

too old for school, so his

priority became getting a job

and integrating as quickly as

possible.

For many refugees who

have been forced to leave

their lives behind, the most

important support they have

on arrival is provided by

charities.

For Sam, who asked for his

surname not to be used, it was

no different. Shortly after he

arrived it was the Refugee

Council, the English arm of

the Refugee Councils of

Britain, that helped him to

find a job at Starbucks in

Covent Garden, central

London.

Last year the Refugee

Councils of Britain helped

more than 20,000 refugees

like Sam to settle across

England, Scotland and Wales.

This year it has been chosen

as one of three Christmas

charities supported by The

Times and The Sunday Times.

Through its employment

programme, the Refugee

Council joins forces with

businesses to help refugees to

find work. For entry-level jobs

it teams up with Ikea, Nando’s

and Starbucks. For refugees

with more professional

experience, partners include

the consultancy firm PWC,

the engineering company

Arup, and the Post Office.

In Sam’s case, the charity

and Starbucks ran an

intensive customer service

training course to prepare

him for an interview, which

was guaranteed through the

scheme.

“I’d seen Starbucks in

movies as a teenager and

really liked the company,”

said Sam. For him, being in a

busy, central London store

was ideal for improving his

language skills. “My English is

much better as a result of

working in the Covent Garden

store.”

The programme typically

supports 300 refugees a year:

37 per cent end up in

employment and 25 per cent

are helped into further

the job at Starbucks, I would

have been stuck, my English

wouldn’t have improved and

my career wouldn’t be that

good,” said Sam. “I have

experience, management

skills, training skills and all

that came from the Refugee

Council because they started

that programme.”

Now 23, he is a supervisor

at Starbucks, manages a bar in

central London part-time,

and works as an Arabic

translator for other refugees

arriving in Britain.

“I’ve got friends who have

been here five or six years and

barely speak English,” he said.

“I’ve done so much training,

I’ve done interviews, I’m a

translator for other refugees

and I’ve represented

Starbucks at conferences. It’s

been a rollercoaster but in a

really good way.”

These days, he considers

himself a true Londoner. And

the future looks even

brighter: Sam is planning to

start evening classes early

next year at a London college,

where he will take four

GCSES: English, maths,

biology and Arabic. He hopes

to get into medical school and

eventually become a

consultant.

“It’s a long journey,” he

said, “but I’m up for it.”

Madeleine Spence

As a child he saw his

country ruined. Now,

with the help of the

Refugee Council, he

is thriving in Britain

Sam is working

as a supervisor at

Starbucks,

managing a bar

part-time and

working as an

interpreter

education or volunteering.

The rest are given continued

training, one-to-one advice

sessions and work

placements.

After five months his

manager offered Sam a role as

a supervisor. “If the Refugee

Council hadn’t had the

programme I’d never have got

Lea Lee-Inoue’s affecting

pictures capture the

emotional range of round-

tailed ground squirrels in

Apache Junction, Arizona.

Her shots — from left

Delicious, Confession and

Meditation with a Feather

— won the portfolio range

category in the Nature

Photographer of the Year

awards announced online

last night. Entries for next

year’s awards open

tomorrow.

WHO SAYS WE

DON’T HAVE

FEELINGS?

LEA LEE INOUE/NPOTY2021

From Syria to Starbucks: how Sam hit the ground running