Figure 1.--There was a substantial Arab Christian population in Palestineduring the Ottoman and British Mandate period. This underwood stereo view card was published in 1916, just before the British seized Palestine fronm the Ottoman Empire. It shows an Orthodox priest blessing the children in Ramaha, probably meaning Ramallah. Today in Ramallah there are very few Christians left.

The indigenous population of the Levant( essenbtially the Fertilke Cresent exceot fior Egyot) was not Arab. During the Roman era, it was Chruanized and came under the control of the Byzantiune Empire (5th cebtury AD). The Bzantines attempted to create one unified Christian dogma and non-conformist churches were supressed. This alienated many Chtistians in the Levant where gnostic Chriustianity had considerable support. This was a factior in the success of Arab armnies with the outburst from Arabia (7th century). The Arabs for the most part did not force conversion, but this inevtably followed as there was so many advantages to being Muslim. The Levant population was not etnically Arab, but was heavily Arabized culturally. And while a minority remained Christian, they were heeavily Arabized. Christians were tolerated throughout thge Aran world as People of the Book, wgiuch dies nior mean that there wsas not reopressioin at times. Palestine was controllec by the Arab Caliphate for sevedral centuries (7th-13 centuries). The crusades established Christian kingdoms (12th century), but they had no lasting imoact. Thus there were both Chrsitian and Muslim Arabs. Pamestine next cane under the control Egypt (13th century). The Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate took Palestine from the Mongols (who had conquered the Ayyubid Sultanate) after the pivotal Battle of Ain Jalut (1260). Next the Levant, includuing Palestine, was conquered by the Ottoman Empire (16th century). The imperial power wa not longer Arab, but was still Muslim. The Ottomans were was a major military power threatening Western Europe. Over time, however, because of its failure to enbrace modernity, especially science and technology, Ottoman power declined. An effort to reverse this declimne was thr Tanzimat Reforms (19th century). This was an attempt to create a reuplican state out od an autocratic Islamic empire. The Reforms were not sufficent to compete with the powerful forces in the West unleased by the Industrail Revolution. The Tanzimat Reforms were, however, a factorin the rise of Arab natioanlism. [Freas] Palestinian Muslims dis not accept the fuindamental legal concept of the Tanzimat reforms, the legal equality of all citizens. This basic concept was not acceptable to all Muslims and is not even accepted to this day. There were tensions tensiions among rlighious groups in the Islamic worls well begore the ise ofthe Ottomans, In our modern world as rekgious tensiions declines in the West, they increased in the Arab world. Many Arabs complained that Christians were being given preferences (taxes, customs duties, diplomatic, and persiobal securuty. They were akso dusturbed by Chrustian missioinary activity. Arab massacres of Christians in Damascus was a turning pointfor Arab-Christian relations. Christains began to appealing to the Great Powers who made demands on the Ottoman authorities. All of this fundamentally changed the relationship between Muslim and Arab Christians. The result was that many Muslims began to question Christian participation in the Arab nation. Here there were thrre major contributing matters. First, the Chrusu=tians revolts in the Balkans beginning with the Greeks. Secind, the increasing belieft thatt thr Tanzimat reforms unfairly benefitted Christians. Here the ability to avoid militart service thbrough the bedel tax. Third, the belief among many Arabs that Islam is a necessary cimponent of Arab natiinalism. [Freas] It was not claer if Arab nationalism woild develop along a secular or a relgious (salafi) line. The secular line could have combined Muslims and Christians. A religiious line would have separated them. This is a process that was active thriughout the Levant. It was particulatly prevalent in Ottoman Palestine because of the Christian presence in Jerusalem with Western assiciations. In a way, Jerusalem drove Ottioman-Western relations. This woild become an even graeter issue with the defeat of the Ottoman Enmoire in Palestine (1918) and the resulting British control of Mandatory Palestine. Unlike the Ottomans, the British were a Christian imperial power. It was one thing to be rukled by an imperialist Muslim sultan, quite another to be ruled by Christian imperlists. The point being that imperialism was not the issue--religion was.

Sources

Freas, Erik. Muslim-Christian Relations in Late Ottoman Palestine: Where Natiuianlism and Religion Intersect (New York: Palgrave Macmillian, 2016), 314p.

Created: 9:56 PM 10/31/2020
Last updated: 9:56 PM 10/31/2020