Today marks the anniversary of a story that began 2,020 years ago in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem. It was a very different Middle East from the one we live in this Christmas. But the communities, in Palestine and throughout the region, who are inspired by the birth and life of Jesus endure.
This year, they have endured a great deal. Bethlehem suffers from a lack of tourists and pilgrims due to Covid-19 and continued Israeli occupation. In the twin Levantine capitals of Damascus and Beirut, economic crisis has cast huge numbers of citizens into poverty. In the former, the proximate cause is an ongoing civil war. In the latter, it is a failure by state institutions trapped in the swamp of sectarianism to govern effectively.
A Christmas tree erected last week in Beirut, which has the largest Christian population of any Arab capital, bears the names of victims of an explosion of a store of ammonium nitrate in August. The blast killed nearly 200 people, and injured more than 6,500 others. The city’s historic Christian quarter along with several churches and hospitals were left in ruins.
Iraq’s Christians, who have seen their population plunge from 1.5 million to 400,000 in the past two decades, have seen other hardships. One is the struggle to revive the city of Mosul. Once a paragon of diversity and co-existence, it was emptied of its entire Christian community when the terrorist group ISIS invaded in 2014. Mosul is back in government hands now, but barely 100 Christians have returned, citing a lack of jobs or other prospects until it is rebuilt.
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People doing last minute Christmas shopping at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Last minute X-mas decorations and shopping before the 25th of December arrives at Oasis Mall. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A Christmas tree is seen on the ornamented and lightened streets of the mostly Christian-populated Bab Touma neighborhood in the old city of Damascus, Syria. EPA -
The Christmas tree in front of the Church of the Nativity, in the Palestinian holy city of Bethlehem in the West Bank. AFP -
A Palestinian carpenter carves religious statues and figurines from olive wood at a shop near the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. AFP -
A Palestinian waiter dressed as Santa Claus welcomes visitors at the entrance of a restaurant on the beach in Gaza City. AP -
People shop in the Christian-populated Al-Qassaa neighborhood in Damascus, Syria. The area has been decorated as part of celebrations of Christmas and New Year. EPA -
People walk in the Christian-populated Al-Qassaa neighborhood in Damascus, Syria. The area has been decorated as part of celebrations of Christmas and New Year. EPA -
Egyptian worker Mosaad Masoud makes glass items for decorating Christmas trees at a glass workshop in Al Qalyubia Governorate, north of Cairo, Egypt. Most Egyptian Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church and they have some very unique traditions for Christmas, which they celebrate on 07 January according to the Julian calendar. EPA -
A man wearing a protective face mask rides a motorbike with a dog dressed up as Santa Claus, during a parade ahead of Christmas in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters -
A Lebanese man wearing a Santa Claus outfit, entertains children at a Christmas market set up on Martyr's square, the epicentre of anti-government protests, in the capital Beirut's downtown district. AFP -
Iraqis check Christmas' decorations for sale at Al Rasheed Street in the capital Baghdad. AFP -
A Palestinian man dressed in a Santa Claus costume spreads happiness among the camp children amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, in Al Shatea refugee camp in Gaza City. EPA -
A Palestinian woman tries a Christmas-themed mask in Gaza City. AFP -
A Palestinian waiter dressed a Santa Clause stands next to a Christmas tree in a restaurant next to the beach in Gaza City. EPA -
A Palestinian waiter dressed as Santa Claus holds a child for a photograph in a restaurant on the beach in Gaza City. AP -
Palestinian cafeteria employees dressed as Santa Claus decorate a Christmas Tree in Gaza City. AFP -
A woman hangs glass Christmas tree ornaments on display at a glass-blowing workshop in the old city of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on December 8, 2020. AFP -
A street vendor selling Santa Claus wrapped chocolate calls for customers at a market in the Old City of Jerusalem. AFP -
Bethlehem lit up its Christmas tree evening but without the usual crowds, as novel coronavirus restrictions put a damper on the start of Christmas festivities in the holy city. AFP -
epa08864860 Palestinians officials and representative of the Church attending the ceremony of lighting the Christmas tree in Bethlehem, West Bank, 05 December 2020, only a limited number of people were allowed to attend the ceremony due to the restrictions imposed by Palestinian Authorities of 14 days of a night lockdown in the Palestinian territories. EPA/ABED AL HASHLAMOUN -
This picture taken on December 5, 2020 shows a fireworks display during the lighting of the Christmas tree in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, closed to the public due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. / AFP / EMMANUEL DUNAND -
An inflatable Santa Claus is displayed outside a shop in Baghdad's Tahrir Square. AFP -
A Lebanese child dressed in a Santa Claus outfit holds a balloon at a Christmas market set up on Martyr's square, the epicentre of anti-government protests, in the capital Beirut's downtown district. AFP -
People wearing protective face masks walk near a dog dressed up as Santa Claus on a kids' bike, during a parade ahead of Christmas in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. REUTERS -
A woman dressed as Santa Claus stands on a decorated vehicle, during a parade ahead of Christmas in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. REUTERS -
Lebanese people gather next to a giant Christmas tree which has been officially lit up at the Ashrafieh area in Beirut, Lebanon. The celebration comes amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the country's severe economic crisis, which comes four months after the blast at Beirut port. EPA -
Workers restore the windows of a house as Lebanese youths dressed as Santa Clause, polar bears and Santa's helpers parade ahead of Christmas along Gouraud street in the capital Beirut's Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, one of the hardest hit by a massive explosion that shook the city on August 4, causing extensive damage to buildings and leaving scores of people dead or injured. AFP -
Lebanese people gather next to a giant Christmas tree which has been officially lit up at the Ashrafieh area in Beirut, Lebanon. The celebration comes amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the country's severe economic crisis, which comes four months after the blast at Beirut port. EPA -
Lebanese people gather next to a giant Christmas tree which has been officially lit up at the Ashrafieh area in Beirut, Lebanon. The celebration comes amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the country's severe economic crisis, which comes four months after the blast at Beirut port. EPA -
A Muslim woman attends the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Beirut's Gemmayzeh neighbourhood. International donors Friday laid out a $2.5-billion response plan to the devastating port blast in Beirut in August, urging reforms in the crisis-hit country. The European Union, United Nations and World Bank published the plan four months after the country's worst peacetime disaster on August 4 that killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and ravaged a huge part of Beirut. AFP -
Children perform during the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Beirut's Gemmayzeh neighbourhood. International donors Friday laid out a $2.5-billion response plan to the devastating port blast in Beirut in August, urging reforms in the crisis-hit country. The European Union, United Nations and World Bank published the plan four months after the country's worst peacetime disaster on August 4 that killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and ravaged a huge part of Beirut. AFP -
Syrians shop at a charity bazaar held at the Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East in Damascus, Syria. The bazaar is held under the title 'Talk, We Are With You' as part of the worldwide 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which is an annual international campaign that kicked off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December. EPA -
General view of Christmas decorations at a mall in Amman, Jordan. REUTERS -
People buy gifts ahead of Christmas in the city of Fuhais near Amman Jordan. REUTERS -
A woman displays gifts in her store ahead of Christmas at a mall, amid fears over rising numbers of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Amman, Jordan. REUTERS
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Christmas is rendered more difficult not by war and politics, but by circumstance. A chance mutation in the coronavirus caused the sudden closure of international borders in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Israel this week. Hopes for many who live and work in these countries of spending Christmas with loved ones abroad have been dashed.
In Jordan, home to 600,000 Christians, a weekly total lockdown has been enforced every Friday since September, including today. In Egypt, where the mutant strain has already been detected, a surge of infections has resulted in the government banning New Year’s Eve celebrations. The country’s Coptic Christians, who along with Orthodox communities celebrate Christmas on January 7, worry that the situation will not ease before then.
The story of Jesus, however, for Christians and Muslims alike, has always been one of hope. And there is much to be hopeful for in the Middle East this Christmas.
Beirut’s houses of worship were rebuilt after devastating wars in previous decades, and they will be rebuilt now as the city’s residents find solidarity with one another amid a growing popular movement for change. In Mosul, the rebuilding has already begun, with the UAE having partnered with Unesco to restore its ancient Al Tahera and Al Sa'ah churches. Mosul will also be on the itinerary of Pope Francis when he undertakes an historic visit to Iraq in March.
And as Prof Ugur Sahin, the scientist behind the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, told The National this week, he is highly confident that the inoculation will prove effective against the new mutation. As vaccines are adopted around the region, everyone will be better off.
On Monday, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 75/200, declaring February 4 to be an International Day of Human Fraternity. Inspired by the signing of the Human Fraternity Document by Pope Francis and Dr Ahmed Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque, in Abu Dhabi in 2019, the UN’s member states hope that the day will be an opportunity to promote tolerance and religious expression, and to end religious discrimination. It is a worthy mission to bear in mind this Christmas, and in all of the Christmases to come.
