On reclaiming Christianity from the West

Much prejudice in Australia directed toward Muslims arises from our understanding that they are mainly Arab or Middle Eastern. Much is made by tabloid columnists and shock jocks when persons of “Middle Eastern appearance” are apprehended by the police.

It's as if being Christian and being Middle Eastern are incompatible. Yet the vast majority of Australians of Arabic-speaking heritage are, in fact, Christian. More importantly, Christianity itself is a Middle Eastern faith. The city of Bethlehem is today a town in the occupied West Bank, and the liturgy of churches in the area where Christ was born is conducted largely in a Middle Eastern language.

In his book From the Holy Mountain, a book which all Western Christians should read, Scottish writer William Dalrymple visits a Syrian church where hymns are sung in the language of Jesus. Not just the words but also the music of these hymns dates back to within a few centuries of Christ. It's likely that very similar hymns were sung by the early Church, if not by the disciples. Yet these had a distinctly Syrian flavour to them.

The Suriyani (indigenous Syrian) Church is one of the oldest organised churches in existence, and to this day one can find churches in Syria where Muslim worshippers take part in Christian liturgy side by side with their Christian neighbours.

Australia and other Western countries don't have a uniquely Christian heritage. South America, Arab League states, Turkey, Iran, Africa and South Asia (to name a few) all have an indigenous Christian heritage. Maybe we would stop stereotyping non-Christians when we stopped stereotyping Christianity.