June 24, 2002

Arab Christians report progress in Texas
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DALLAS--Discrimination against Arab Baptists is on the decline now after months of general suspicion and minor incidents in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to pastors.
___Between 500 and 800 Arabic Christians live in Texas and primarily attend five churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and in metropolitan Houston, said Patty Lane, director of intercultural initiatives for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___Tensions between Arab Christians and other religious and ethnic groups have fallen significantly since Jan. 1, according to Issam Raad, pastor of Arabic Baptist Church in Houston. Anxiety was fueled by the attacks coupled with the ensuing war and anthrax scare, he said. Once those events passed, treatment of Arab Christians began to improve.
___Samir Kawar, pastor of Arabic Baptist Church in Dallas, said he noticed an immediate difference in the way others treated him and members of his congregation after the attacks. Much of the prejudice was as subtle as a raised eyebrow or a glare. Raad also reported some more severe incidents in which members of his congregation were victims of racial slurs.
___Public reactions hurt Christian Arab-Americans, Kawar said. He even had to explain to a friend how he felt in the wake of the tragedy.
___"I told him I've been here 30 years," he said. "My kids were born here, and I intend to die here. I told him, 'I've been hurt by Sept. 11 as much as you have.'"
___ Pastors disagreed about the response of their non-Arab Christian brethren. Non-Arab believers showed "even more love" toward Arab Christians, said Habib Saade, pastor of Arabic Baptist Church in Arlington. Fellow Christians called him immediately after the attacks to offer aid and support in case he or his congregation experienced any harsh responses due to the attacks, he explained.
___This reaction reaffirmed his belief that Christians are "one body in Jesus."
___Kawar holds a slightly different opinion. He believes the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has created another problem. Some pastors have sided with Israel and thereby have cast Arabs in a bad light.
___"Many pastors lean toward Israel and indirectly create an unloving attitude toward Arabs," he said.
___Mistreatment is nothing new to Arab Baptists. They were victims of discrimination before the September attacks, Kawar said. They sometimes experience harassment from surrounding Muslim communities, Lane said. Because of this harassment, Lane added, some leaders prefer to use only their first names in news stories to protect their families from further discrimination.
___Arab Baptists are not victims of persecution from only one group, Raad said. They stand on the front line of persecution in many aspects because both non-Arab Americans and American Muslims see them as outsiders.
___"Many left their country for more freedom and are looked at as western when they go back or try to witness to their countrymen," he said. "This is the problem."
___Raad compared the plight of his people to that of Jesus, saying both lived in the middle of ethnic tension. He has urged his congregation to follow Jesus' lead as Jesus attempted to turn confrontations into opportunities to build bridges between groups.
___"In times like this, there is tension," he said. Yet "this is when the light of Christ can really shine."

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