Small acts of faith vital, say Christian families in Israeli village

Muslims from Muqeibleh celebrate with their Christian neighbours when church is built

Fuad Shunnara and his wife, Sohad, kneel and read the Bible and pray with their sons in their living room in Muqeibleh, Israel, June 22. The family belongs to the Church of the Transfiguration in the village and prays with their children every night at home. CNS photo / Debbie Hill

Catholic News Service posted a story by Judith Sudilovsky about how Christian families in an Israeli village and their Muslim friends and neighbours have mutual respect. But to establish their identity, small acts of faith are vital. Muqeibleh is a small village between the city of Lod and Nazareth. When a church was built in Muqeibleh in 2006, the Christians were not the only ones to celebrate. Muslim religious leaders and neighbours also joined in celebration with the community. Sudilovsky reported that Muslims and Christians are on good standing with one another.

Every evening Suhad Shunnara, 32, reads the Bible to her three sons and kneels with them to say the rosary. On Friday, she and her husband, Fuad, 40, send the children to religion class, and on Saturday, after Mass, they all watch a Christian TV channel together.

In this small village of 4,000, where the Christian community totals 135 people, these small acts of faith are not only a statement of their own beliefs but also an important way to instill in their children a love and understanding of the importance of their religious traditions to their own identities.

"There are a lot of things which we do differently than our Muslim neighbours," Fuad said, noting that most of his friends are Muslim, "but the atmosphere here is very good; there is a lot of Muslim-Christian respect as well as Christian-Christian respect."

Full story available here.