YMCA gets its just deserts

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Posted by Bible Probe on September 09, 2006 at 22:03:17:

YMCA gets its just deserts
------------------------------------------Posted: April 24, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

"I read the news today, oh boy ... And though the news was rather sad, well I just had to laugh ..."
– Lennon-McCartney

I had one of those John Lennon moments myself last week, reading about the plan by Hamas to close down the YMCA in a town within the Palestinian Authority.

It seems Hamas is making good on its pledge to rid areas it controls of all Christians, Jews, Christian institutions, Jewish institutions and even, in the case of the YMCA, formerly Christian organizations eagerly running away from their Christian heritage and legacy.

Maybe someone needs to send the Islamists in Qalqiliya the memo explaining that the YMCA is "their friend."

Years ago, the World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations betrayed its mission and began giving a bad name to Christianity – particularly with regard to its relations in the Middle East.

The Geneva-based international association did everything in its power to win friends among the Arabs and blame the violence in the Mideast on the Jews. Back in 2001, the group issued a blistering one-sided 3,000-word report on the Middle East prepared by a staff member after a visit by representatives of Argentina, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.

"The visit was prompted by serious concern over what is clearly a deteriorating situation for the Palestinians in the wake of recent aggressions by the Israeli government, its army and settlers in the Occupied Territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," the report explained.

The purpose of the trip, the report explained, was "to express our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Palestine who are victims of a failed peace process and Israeli oppression."

Based on the experiences of the five-day trip to the Mideast, the international YMCA representatives concluded:



"There are systematic and widespread human rights violations being perpetrated on the entire Palestinian population. These abuses take the form of demolishing houses, shooting at ambulances, detention of people without charges, killing people without provocation and placing villages and cities under states of siege," the report said.

"There is use of massive force against unarmed protesters and completely innocent people, mainly women, the elderly and children."

"The one-sided nature of the conflict demands that the YMCA take the side of the oppressed Palestinian people."

Now, keep in mind, the YMCA is supposed to be a worldwide Christian, ecumenical, voluntary movement for women and men with special emphasis on the involvement of young people. Its mission is to build a human community of justice with love, peace and reconciliation.

But there wasn't much love, peace and reconciliation shown to Israel in this report.

In fact, the national director of the YMCA of the USA, Kenneth Gladish, felt compelled to write a letter to Geneva distancing his group from the world alliance report.

"The language, tone and characterizations included in [the report] do nothing to aid the true cause of peace and stability, nor do they position the YMCA for effective service across the boundaries of dispute," he wrote. "These documents are inappropriate and can serve only to inflame the long-standing tensions in the region."

If the YMCA thought things were bad when these areas were under the control of Israelis, imagine what the organization must think now. Now, the YMCA in Qalqiliya is the target of Molotov cocktails from the friendly natives – those previously defended as the "oppressed Palestinian people." Now, every Friday the local clergy call upon the local population to revolt against the infidels at the YMCA.

What is the definition of irony?

A Christian organization betrays its mission and early beliefs and sides with Muslim terrorists. Then this organization finds out the truth about the Muslim terrorists too late. The group then becomes the target of the Muslim terrorists' wrath only because of its empty "Christian" name.

Well, I just had to laugh.

Reference: http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49872

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