archival of tweets from "eastern christians: commemorating genocide, confronting the future."

An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion: Eastern Christians: Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

1 Wow. It's a full house. People are eagerly anticipating the start of our panel discussion, "Eastern Christians." http://t.co/OPzM4UUa3S

2 "Will pluralism and tolerance in the Middle East survive?" asks artistic director, Jamil Khoury. #EasternChristians

3 Isn't it amazing that a panel on Eastern Christians is being hosted in a building owned by a Western Church? @Chicago @ChicagoTemple

4 #EasternChristians need allies. We need Muslim allies. We need Christian allies. We need Jewish allies. We need allies of all backgrounds.

5 A scene from Adriana Sevahn Nichols' play "Night Over Erzinga" is now being performed as part of our panel discussion on #EasternChristians.

6 Eastern Christianity is a mosaic of ancient traditions that blend majesty with humility, mysticism with everyday life.

7 A riveting reading of excerpts from "Night Over Erzinga." Audience is prepped & ready to engage with the panel. #EasternChristians.

8 This past April, we commemorated the Centennial of the Armenian, Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac, and Greek Genocides.

9 Q: "How does the legacy of Genocide continue to impact your communities, the Armenian and Syriac communities, respectively?"

10 A: Hundred years have gone by and there's still no justice; denial of the genocide keeps it alive.

11 A: People were not able to keep their names; Armenians were not allowed to speak their language or celebrate their culture. #Genocide

12 A: The final destination for my family was the pit were Armenians were burned alive. #Genocide. It's too late to ask my family for answers.

13 A: The legacy of genocide is that we are survivors but unresolved issues & denial prevents us from being able to move forward.

14 A: Destruction of our heritage continues to this day; it was last summer our communities were expelled from Mosul.

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15 A: We were deported with our clothes only hundred years ago; and even now. Our people are leaving our ancestral homeland. #EasternChristians

16 A: 2/3 of our people were massacred; we've been uprooted from our homeland. It hurts to see our neighbors pushing us out.

17 Q: How can a semblance of justice be realized today for the living descendants of Genocide and for their families who were killed?

18 A: start by acknowledging the Genocide.

19 A: We forgive from day one. My grandmother would say, "we don't wish this even on our enemies." But we cannot forget what happened to us.

20 A: We want our properties, our churches, and we want to be recognized as people of the land. We want to see justice by promoting pluralism.

21 A: We need to bring our stories to a global audience & take them out from within just the communities; we need to broaden our support base.

22 Q: What would you identify as the greatest challenges and threats facing Egypts Coptic Christian community?

23 A: Christians and Muslims have been living in the same land; but there have been periods in Egypt when it's been difficult for Christians.

24 A: Wahhabi ideology in Egypt meant education and media were infiltrated; anti-Christian and anti-pluralism ideas flourished.

25 A: What we have now is a government that is interested in tolerance and moderate Muslims can now come out in Egypt. I have optimism.

26 Q: How is the situation in Lebanon unique for Christians?

27 A: Christians in Lebanon have a different history & perspective.

28 A: In twentieth century, Christians of Lebanon were different because at creation of the state, they were the majority.

29 A: When the Christians abused their own power in Lebanon, it fueled attacks against them; there are now two major power blocks in Lebanon.

30 A: In Lebanon, the question is not one of religious persecution but political.

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31 A: Christians of Lebanon suffer less, and although there's been a Diaspora, they always come back and leave roots in Lebanon.

32 A: Other than the Lebanese Civil War, I go back every year to visit my family. That's how we are.

33 Q: How would you assess political dynamics in the region that pit some in the Sunni Muslim community against Shias, Christians, minorities

34 A: I am a Sunni Muslim, but I'm incapable of talking about the Quran without also looking at the Bible and Old Testament. They all guide me.

35 A: The real tragedy is the People of the Book killing one another; and there is plenty of persecution taking place.

36 A: ISIS has killed more Muslims than anyone else. Things that take place there afflict us here in the US.

37 A: We recoil in horror at what's happening there.

38 Q: How did the US invasion and occupation of Iraq place Christian communities in jeopardy?

39 A: We see what happened in Mosul: Christians were beheaded, massacred & driven out. Since when did we become strangers in our own homeland?

40 A: The suffering of Christians can be traced to occupation of Iraq.

41 A: The US occupation unleashed majority in Iraq; when the Shia assumed majority seats, they directed persecution towards Sunni not Christian

42 A: I was in Iraq in 2003 and have been back twice, you cannot generalize Muslim against Christian. It's not fair. It's Shia vs Sunni in Iraq

43 A: The truth is only small percentage have anti-Christian sentiments but we'd like to see majority Muslims oppose our persecution.

44 A: If Sunni & Shia are fighting against each other, Christians should be concerned and helping resolve sectarian thinking.

45 Q: What would you describe as the key factors that led to the creation of ISIS?

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46 A: It's a luxury to be an American Muslim & say we're against treatment of Christians in the Middle East; we can't speak up in MENA.

47 A: Barbarous group of radicals is called ISIS and majority of people killed by them are Muslim.

48 A: What's going on in the region is not about Christianity although Christians suffer. It's caused by power vacuum and dictatorships.

49 A: Numbers tell the story. 1.5MIL Christians before 2003 and now only 300,000 are left in Iraq.

50 A: Yes, Christians are lucky to be able to move out of Middle East, but that's our homeland. We don't want to go.

51 A: Don't blame the government, people are responsible.

52 A: We cannot keep saying Muslims are the majority being killed; that's nature of statistics. Argument is: there is systemic persecution.

53 A: ISIS ideology is as bad news for Christians as it is for Muslims.

54 Q: Do Eastern Christians need either a state of their own in the Middle East or autonomous regions in various existing states?

55 A: Eastern Christians do need either a state of their own in the Middle East or in autonomous regions. We need a safer place and protection.

56 A: We can talk about utopia but truth is Copts are Pharaonic. We have same roots and we're attached to our land. We want to live together.

57 A: I cannot imagine a separate country for Christians; we want to live together.

58 The panel is now opened up to questions from the audience.

59 Q: ISIS represents an Islam that the Prophet would not recognize. They are not Muslims.

60 A: There is some method to ISIS's madness. They have a Jihadi Salafist view of Islam.

61 A: What politicians are doing is using Islam to stay in power.

62 Q: What role has writings of Sayyid Qutb played in creating ISIS?

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63 A: Many are still fighting the issues that began at passing of Prophet Mohammad and division of Shi'a and Sunni.

64 A: I wish ISIL subscribed more to Sayyid Qutb because he imagined an order orientation not what ISIL is doing.

65 A: The theoretician view is that Islam is a religion of peace but it's like any religion that causes / has caused a lot of hurt.

66 A: Many people have been killed as a result of God and beliefs that are unaccepting of pluralism.

67 Audience member: I think Internet will save the world; children are talking to other kids in other parts of the world and developing empathy

68 Audience Comment: The problem is that we were colonies; they created divisions; we're still paying for climate of fear sowed back then.

69 A: We can't act as "if only we could get along." There's a legacy of racist colonialism but we have problems that go way before then.

70 A: The solution is not isolationism for Christian community but in democracy. Nation states have to strive towards that.

71 A: We don't suggest isolating but protecting Eastern Christians.

72 A: In the Middle East we are forced to choose between democracy or protection.

73 A: It's a choice between safety and democracy; with no life, democracy is not worthwhile so we have to choose to live first.

74 A: We cannot sit here in Chicago and talk about democracy when people in our own country are still being denied their rights.

75 Audience Comment: 315 Christians were kidnapped from 2 villages in Syria but why are the majority there silent?

76 A: Lack of leadership in Islam unlike for example Pope in Catholicism, may contribute to some challenges.

77 Audience Comment: I think ISIS is the last stand / battle in Islam and moderation will prevail.

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78 Audience Comment: Pres. George W Bush used relgious arguments to invade Iraq. Stop power of abusing religion. Everyone's guilty.

79 A: the "explanation" that not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim is untrue and devised to misrepresent facts.

80 A: Middle East needs time to work out all these contradictions; it's victimizing average citizens.

81 A: It's not the teachings of the Holy Books; its the mis-interpretation of the Books.

82 A: groups have been developed to create awareness of the plight of Eastern Christians including In Defense of Christ. and Coptic Solidarity.

83 A: Generalizations have been made tonight - a lot of Muslims saved us Armenians during the Genocide.

84 It's been a robust conversation and discussion on #EasternChristians. We're grateful for thoughts & ideas shared by panelists and patrons.

85 The panel has been video taped and will be distributed online as soon as possible!

86 @ZainabZeb: @Silk_Road Thank you for bringing discourse and dialogue. You're setting an exemplary model of solution oriented programs.

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archival of tweets from "eastern christians: commemorating genocide, confronting the future."

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