An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion:

Eastern Christians:
Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

Wow. It's a full house. People are eagerly anticipating the start of our panel
discussion, "Eastern Christians." http://t.co/OPzM4UUa3S

"Will pluralism and tolerance in the Middle East survive?" asks artistic director, Jamil
Khoury. #EasternChristians

Isn't it amazing that a panel on Eastern Christians is being hosted in a building owned
by a Western Church? @Chicago @ChicagoTemple

#EasternChristians need allies. We need Muslim allies. We need Christian allies. We

need Jewish allies. We need allies of all backgrounds.

A scene from Adriana Sevahn Nichols' play "Night Over Erzinga" is now being
performed as part of our panel discussion on #EasternChristians.

Eastern Christianity is a mosaic of ancient traditions that blend majesty with humility,
mysticism with everyday life.

A riveting reading of excerpts from "Night Over Erzinga." Audience is prepped

& ready to engage with the panel. #EasternChristians.

This past April, we commemorated the Centennial of the Armenian,

Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac, and Greek Genocides.

Q: "How does the legacy of Genocide continue to impact your communities, the
Armenian and Syriac communities, respectively?"

A: Hundred years have gone by and there's still no justice; denial of the genocide
10 keeps it alive.
A: People were not able to keep their names; Armenians were not allowed to speak
11 their language or celebrate their culture. #Genocide
A: The final destination for my family was the pit were Armenians were burned alive.
12 #Genocide. It's too late to ask my family for answers.
A: The legacy of genocide is that we are survivors but unresolved issues &
13 denial prevents us from being able to move forward.
A: Destruction of our heritage continues to this day; it was last summer our
14 communities were expelled from Mosul.
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An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion:

Eastern Christians:
Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

A: We were deported with our clothes only hundred years ago; and even now. Our
15 people are leaving our ancestral homeland. #EasternChristians
A: 2/3 of our people were massacred; we've been uprooted from our homeland. It
16 hurts to see our neighbors pushing us out.
Q: How can a semblance of justice be realized today for the living descendants of
17 Genocide and for their families who were killed?
18 A: start by acknowledging the Genocide.
A: We forgive from day one. My grandmother would say, "we don't wish this even on
19 our enemies." But we cannot forget what happened to us.
A: We want our properties, our churches, and we want to be recognized as people of
20 the land. We want to see justice by promoting pluralism.
A: We need to bring our stories to a global audience & take them out from within
21 just the communities; we need to broaden our support base.
Q: What would you identify as the greatest challenges and threats facing Egypts
22 Coptic Christian community?
A: Christians and Muslims have been living in the same land; but there have been
23 periods in Egypt when it's been difficult for Christians.
A: Wahhabi ideology in Egypt meant education and media were infiltrated;
24 anti-Christian and anti-pluralism ideas flourished.
A: What we have now is a government that is interested in tolerance and moderate
25 Muslims can now come out in Egypt. I have optimism.
26 Q: How is the situation in Lebanon unique for Christians?
27 A: Christians in Lebanon have a different history & perspective.
A: In twentieth century, Christians of Lebanon were different because at creation of
28 the state, they were the majority.
A: When the Christians abused their own power in Lebanon, it fueled attacks against
29 them; there are now two major power blocks in Lebanon.
30 A: In Lebanon, the question is not one of religious persecution but political.
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An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion:

Eastern Christians:
Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

A: Christians of Lebanon suffer less, and although there's been a Diaspora, they
31 always come back and leave roots in Lebanon.
A: Other than the Lebanese Civil War, I go back every year to visit my family. That's
32 how we are.
Q: How would you assess political dynamics in the region that pit some in the Sunni
33 Muslim community against Shias, Christians, minorities
A: I am a Sunni Muslim, but I'm incapable of talking about the Quran without also
34 looking at the Bible and Old Testament. They all guide me.
A: The real tragedy is the People of the Book killing one another; and there is plenty
35 of persecution taking place.
A: ISIS has killed more Muslims than anyone else. Things that take place there afflict
36 us here in the US.
37 A: We recoil in horror at what's happening there.
Q: How did the US invasion and occupation of Iraq place Christian communities in
38 jeopardy?
A: We see what happened in Mosul: Christians were beheaded, massacred &
39 driven out. Since when did we become strangers in our own homeland?
40 A: The suffering of Christians can be traced to occupation of Iraq.
A: The US occupation unleashed majority in Iraq; when the Shia assumed majority
41 seats, they directed persecution towards Sunni not Christian
A: I was in Iraq in 2003 and have been back twice, you cannot generalize Muslim
42 against Christian. It's not fair. It's Shia vs Sunni in Iraq
A: The truth is only small percentage have anti-Christian sentiments but we'd like to
43 see majority Muslims oppose our persecution.
A: If Sunni & Shia are fighting against each other, Christians should be
44 concerned and helping resolve sectarian thinking.
45 Q: What would you describe as the key factors that led to the creation of ISIS?

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An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion:

Eastern Christians:
Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

A: It's a luxury to be an American Muslim & say we're against treatment of

46 Christians in the Middle East; we can't speak up in MENA.
A: Barbarous group of radicals is called ISIS and majority of people killed by them
47 are Muslim.
A: What's going on in the region is not about Christianity although Christians suffer.
48 It's caused by power vacuum and dictatorships.
A: Numbers tell the story. 1.5MIL Christians before 2003 and now only 300,000 are
49 left in Iraq.
A: Yes, Christians are lucky to be able to move out of Middle East, but that's our
50 homeland. We don't want to go.
51 A: Don't blame the government, people are responsible.
A: We cannot keep saying Muslims are the majority being killed; that's nature of
52 statistics. Argument is: there is systemic persecution.
53 A: ISIS ideology is as bad news for Christians as it is for Muslims.
Q: Do Eastern Christians need either a state of their own in the Middle East or
54 autonomous regions in various existing states?
A: Eastern Christians do need either a state of their own in the Middle East or in
55 autonomous regions. We need a safer place and protection.
A: We can talk about utopia but truth is Copts are Pharaonic. We have same roots
56 and we're attached to our land. We want to live together.
57 A: I cannot imagine a separate country for Christians; we want to live together.
58 The panel is now opened up to questions from the audience.
Q: ISIS represents an Islam that the Prophet would not recognize. They are not
59 Muslims.
A: There is some method to ISIS's madness. They have a Jihadi Salafist view of
60 Islam.
61 A: What politicians are doing is using Islam to stay in power.
62 Q: What role has writings of Sayyid Qutb played in creating ISIS?
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An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion:

Eastern Christians:
Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

A: Many are still fighting the issues that began at passing of Prophet Mohammad and
63 division of Shi'a and Sunni.
A: I wish ISIL subscribed more to Sayyid Qutb because he imagined an order
64 orientation not what ISIL is doing.
A: The theoretician view is that Islam is a religion of peace but it's like any religion
65 that causes / has caused a lot of hurt.
A: Many people have been killed as a result of God and beliefs that are unaccepting
66 of pluralism.
Audience member: I think Internet will save the world; children are talking to other kids
67 in other parts of the world and developing empathy
Audience Comment: The problem is that we were colonies; they created divisions;
68 we're still paying for climate of fear sowed back then.
A: We can't act as "if only we could get along." There's a legacy of racist colonialism
69 but we have problems that go way before then.
A: The solution is not isolationism for Christian community but in democracy. Nation
70 states have to strive towards that.
71 A: We don't suggest isolating but protecting Eastern Christians.
72 A: In the Middle East we are forced to choose between democracy or protection.
A: It's a choice between safety and democracy; with no life, democracy is not
73 worthwhile so we have to choose to live first.
A: We cannot sit here in Chicago and talk about democracy when people in our own
74 country are still being denied their rights.
Audience Comment: 315 Christians were kidnapped from 2 villages in Syria but why
75 are the majority there silent?
A: Lack of leadership in Islam unlike for example Pope in Catholicism, may contribute
76 to some challenges.
Audience Comment: I think ISIS is the last stand / battle in Islam and moderation will
77 prevail.

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An Archival of Tweets from the Panel Discussion:

Eastern Christians:
Commemorating Genocide, Confronting the Future

Audience Comment: Pres. George W Bush used relgious arguments to invade Iraq.
78 Stop power of abusing religion. Everyone's guilty.
A: the "explanation" that not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslim is
79 untrue and devised to misrepresent facts.
A: Middle East needs time to work out all these contradictions; it's victimizing
80 average citizens.
81 A: It's not the teachings of the Holy Books; its the mis-interpretation of the Books.
A: groups have been developed to create awareness of the plight of Eastern
82 Christians including In Defense of Christ. and Coptic Solidarity.
A: Generalizations have been made tonight - a lot of Muslims saved us Armenians
83 during the Genocide.
It's been a robust conversation and discussion on #EasternChristians. We're grateful
84 for thoughts & ideas shared by panelists and patrons.
85 The panel has been video taped and will be distributed online as soon as possible!
@ZainabZeb: @Silk_Road Thank you for bringing discourse and dialogue. You're
86 setting an exemplary model of solution oriented programs.

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