An inside look at Banksy’s West Bank hotel

These murals on the walls of a West Bank hotel in the Middle East have brought more interest onto the conflict in the region and follow a range of Banksy murals that have been painted onto the entrance to the West Bank and at checkpoints within the Holy Land. The latest Banksy murals leave a […]

In Jerusalem’s cramped Old City, Christians feel the squeeze

* Christians comprise some 7,000 of Old City’s 38,000 people * Months of Muslim-Jewish violence leaves Christians on edge * Clergy worries about further decline in Christian numbers When hundreds of Jewish nationalists marched through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City this month, waving banners and chanting songs in what has become an annual […]

How is Christmas celebrated in other parts of the world?

Netherlands The festivities begin with the arrival of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) on a boat from Spain. History alludes to a Catholic priest in fourth-century Myra – in modern Turkey. Under protestant rule, celebrations of Sinterklaas moved from the public into the private sphere. Jan Schenkman’s 1850 novel ‘Saint Nicholas and his Servant‘ popularised many modern Sinterklaas traditions. Schenkman’s writings reflected the culture – Sinterklaas interrogated children about their behaviour and religious knowledge. Rewards came in the shape of gifts and food. Naughty children were sometimes carried away by the servant in a large sack. One of the most controversial legacies involves Zwarte Piet or ‘Black Pete’ – a character who accompanies Sinterklass. White people put on blackface makeup, with exaggerated lips, curly wigs and costumes. The United Nations has called on the Netherlands to ditch Black Pete due to its racist and negative stereotyping. In recent years, the anti-racist response to Black Pete has received more mainstream attention. Jerusalem Christians account for less than 2 per cent of the population in Jerusalem. For many in the city, Christmas is just another day in the city. Christmas Day falls on the Sabbath so individuals will be off regardless. In some parts [...]

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Faith Matters takes group of British Muslims to Israel / Palestine

During a short trip to the West Bank this November, an interfaith group, most of them British Muslims from the Faith Matters organization, visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron through a Holy Land Trust program for five days. Faith Matters is a UK interfaith and community cohesion-based organization that works “towards conflict resolution and cohesion […]