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We, the Christians of the Middle East, living inside and outside of the Middle East, believe that current US policies towards the Middle East will have dramatic, long-term repercussions on the stability of the region and, more importantly, on world peace. We believe that religion is being used - as it has always been - as an excuse to perpetrate massive crimes against humanity. The proposed war on Iraq and the genocide of the Palestinians, including their expulsion plans are but some recent examples. We believe that the real reason for the upcoming war does not lie in the fulfillment of religious prophecy but rather in two words: oil and land.

We, the Christians of the Middle East, are strongly opposed to the unholy and un-Christian alliance between the 'Christian' Right and Zionism, which uses religion to encourage more war crimes. We believe that members of the Christian Right have misled and deceived people into believing that they are fulfilling God's will through their misinterpretation and deliberate manipulation of Biblical prophecies for political ends. We believe that as Christians we should bring peace and justice to the world, rather than war, injustice, and hatred.

We, the Christians of the Middle East, have lived with our Muslim counterparts throughout the centuries, with our ups and downs. While we have had occasional friction, we have nevertheless learnt to live with each other in tolerance and with respect for each other's faiths and beliefs.

We, the Christians of the Middle East, believe in human rights and the respect of the rights of all peoples, regardless of race, religion or creed. We believe that International Humanitarian Laws should be respected, and that peoples and nations have the right to determine their own destiny. We believe that no one has the right to 'impose democracy' on any country, and no one has the right to impose their value system on anyone.

We, the Christians of the Middle East, believe that Homeland Security and missile proliferation will not help secure America nor Americans at home or abroad. We believe that such actions together with consistent unilateralism and war-cries will only further alienate the US from the world and from international public opinion, and will increase hostility against it.

We, the Christians of the Middle East, believe that the main source of tension in the Middle East is the Israeli occupation of Arab land, and the decades upon decades of humiliation and oppression. We therefore believe that only a just peace, one that includes the respect for all United Nations Resolutions regarding the Occupied Territories, ending the Israeli occupation, the dismantling of illegal settlements, and the respect for the Right of Return, will save the region and hence the world form further havoc and chaos. Furthermore, we believe that the impending war on Iraq is immoral and unjustifiable, and will only further destabilize an already volatile region.

In our name as Christians, Jerry Falwell and his entourage of 'Reverends' have systematically attacked Islam and Muslims, and have persistently expressed their support of Israel. In fact Falwell went as far as denying the existence of Palestinians and claiming that 'there is no Palestine; only Israel', and that there is 'no West Bank and Gaza; only Judea and Sumaria'. Such deceptive assertions and historical inaccuracies have led many non-suspecting Christians to believe that by supporting Israel they are 'pleasing God' and fulfilling His prophecies.

We, the Christians of the Middle East, believe that God has not required us to fulfill his prophecies through murdering innocent children, demolishing homes, and seizing land, but rather to bring peace on earth. It was He who said "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God". It was He who also said:

"Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven".

We, the Christians of the Middle East, do not believe that the death of Palestinian children, women and men, every day is a will of God; that the systemic torture and humiliation of people is a will of God; that house demolitions is a will of God; that taking people's land is a will of God. The God we are familiar with said 'thou shalt not kill', and he also said that His Kingdom is not of this world.

As Christmas draws near, we, the Christians of the Middle East, have little reason to rejoice because of the daily loss of life in the Occupied Territories and because of the impending war on another Middle Eastern country.

We, the Christians of the Middle East,

- Believe in human rights and the right to self-determination, and this includes Palestinians.
- Condemn the loss of innocent lives, no matter where it occurs.
- Appeal to the US government to stop the immoral cries of war immediately.
- Appeal to the US government to change its foreign policy to one that is more balanced, just, and moral, and one that is consistent with the principles upon which the United States was founded.
- Appeal to the leaders of the US government and the US media to stop the use of the words 'human rights' and 'democracy' as catch words to appeal to the American public, while undermining the functionality of the United Nations. Rather, the US should support true home-grown democracy and human rights throughout the Middle East.
- Add our voices to the growing number of domestic and international voices opposed to the United States' proposed military action on Iraq.
- Request that the US open new channels for serious diplomatic alternatives to the current impasse in the Middle East, whether regarding Iraq or the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict.
- Request the immediate recognition of a fully independent Palestinian state.
- Appeal for the lifting of economic sanctions that target innocent Iraqi civilians
- Request the release of Arabs and Muslism in the US who are detained for no reason other their country of origin. And request the end of intmidation and harrassmenets to Arab and Muslim indivduals, groups and organizations in the US.

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