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Muslims and Christians find bonds during war in Lebanon

September 14, 2006

By Bengt Sigvardsson, ACT International

Beirut--During the war between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israeli forces, a million Lebanese fled the war zones to "safer" places in Lebanon. The majority of those who fled were Shia Muslims, many of whom received protection in Christian areas.

"I lived next to one of Hezbollah's headquarters in Dahiye," said Um Hassan, 50 years old, speaking about his home in the southern Beirut suburb. "When Israel began its attack on the headquarters, I fled to eastern Beirut. The police directed me to a school for shelter. My home was demolished just after I came here."

We met at a school in Archrafieh in eastern Beirut, where Shia Muslim refugees have been living for more than a month. The war between the Lebanese Shia Muslim party Hezbollah and Israeli forces began on July 12, and soon afterwards, Israel attacked villages, towns, and city areas in Lebanon where Hezbollah was headquartered. The majority of the residents of these areas were Shia Muslims. Thousands sought protection in eastern Beirut, a predominately Christian area. Churches, monasteries, schools, and private homes opened their doors to those who fled.

"These people are my brothers and sisters. We are Lebanese, regardless of whether we are Christian or Shia Muslim. We constitute together one entity, but this war has brought us closer together," said Elie Ajouz, a regional coordinator for the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in Lebanon. MECC is a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.

MECC's Inter-church Network for Development and Relief (ICNDR) has been providing food, water, and other necessities for people who fled the fighting. During the war, 28 families were housed at the I Achrafieh school. Following the August 14 cease-fire, about half of them returned home. Fifteen of the families remain, either because their homes were demolished or because sporadic fighting is still taking place where they live.

"Our home is not completely destroyed, but damaged. We will return as soon as possible and repair our house during the days while sleeping at the school at night," said Hassan Hamdan, a father of two children and a resident of Dahiye.

Large parts of Dahiye were demolished during the Israeli attacks. Hezbollah, which also has a social-service branch, has promised to pay for the reconstruction.

"We don't have any contact with Hezbollah, but working together through religious differences ought not to be simply empty words, but reality. Our duty is to help people. That is why the reconstruction and aid must happen with the cooperation of volunteer organizations, the church, the government as well as Muslim charities which have connections with Hezbollah's social branch," Elie said.

Groups of children played in the school yard and among the mattresses in the classrooms at the school. Among them were Hassan’s children, Ali and Zeinab. Outwardly, they seemed happy.

"But they often have nightmares, and are afraid, especially in the car. As soon as we near a bridge, they're terror-struck," said Hassan, referring to the bridges that were targets of the Israeli offensive.

Many Christian families opened their homes to Shia Muslims who fled the fighting.

"But there were even Christian families who stayed with Muslim families. There are many Christians who live in villages by the border with Israel. Many of them fled to Shia Muslim friends around the city of Byblos, north of Beirut," explained Suad Hajj Nassif, head of MECC/ICNDR.

However, MECC/ICNDR did not provide or arrange housing for individuals. Contacts between families and friends existed before the war.

"In Lebanon, families help each other. I know of a Greek Orthodox lady in western Beirut, for instance, whose sister is married to a Shia Muslim man. During the war her entire brother-in-law’s family lived in her apartment," Suad said.

As far as Suad is concerned, the war has had both negative and positive consequences for the relationships among the 18 Muslim and Christian associations.

"On a political level, relations between Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims have worsened, but on a social level, relations have strengthened between all associations. Masses of Christians have protested loudly against the massacre of Shia Muslims. In this war two clear parties exist. That was not the case during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), which was in large part a sectarian war," Suad concluded.

Church World Service is a member of ACT, a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

RESPONSE: Church World Service continues its support of its two partners in the region, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). Material aid support has also been provided to the humanitarian agency Mercy Corps which has extensive response efforts under way in Lebanon.

As part of efforts, CWS has sent the following shipments to the region:

800 cartons of donated canned turkey to the MECC, valued at $33,600.
40 cartons of IMA medicine boxes to MECC, with a value of $166,584. The IMA boxes contain 16 essential medicines and medical supplies in sufficient quantities to respond to the common illnesses of approximately 1,000 adults and children for up to two-to-three months when placed in a clinic.
1,770 CWS blankets; 10,440 CWS Health Kits; and seven pallets of 5-gallon jugs of water to the IOCC. This shipment has a total value of $146,806.
10,020 CWS School Kits and 8,595 CWS Health Kits, with a total value of $241,995 to Mercy Corps.

Contributions to support these efforts may be sent to your denomination or directly to: Church World Service, Lebanon Crisis(Account #6820), P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515

Contributions may also be made by credit card online, or by calling: (800) 297-1516, ext. 222.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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