Gaza Christians, Hamas at Odds Over Conversions to Islam
The Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza Strip recently claimed that five Palestinian Christians were forcefully converted to Islam, sparking tension between Hamas and the Christian minority, writes Saleh Jadallah from Gaza. But the alleged victims have posted video saying they chose to convert, and Muslim groups say the same.
GAZA CITY — The recent conversion of Palestinian Christians to Islam has sparked tensions between Hamas, the Islamist group ruling the Gaza Strip, and the Christian minority here. Both publicly traded barbs for the first time since Hamas took over Gaza Strip from its rival, Fatah, after the 2006 parliamentary elections.
The Greek-Orthodox archbishop in the coastal Palestinian territory, Alexios, claimed that five Christians, a woman with her three daughters and a man, were forced to convert to Islam. But the Muslim Scholars’ Association in Palestine, a group affiliated with Hamas, said the converts had freely and officially embraced Islam on July 14.
Alexios further claimed that the five had been kidnapped by an Islamist group, which he said is working against Christians’ interests in Gaza. He did not mention the name of the group.
“Let them go back to their families and we will see if they adopt Islam freely or not. If they are really Muslims, we do not have any problem letting them stay with their families,” the archbishop said.
