Christians Under Continuing Assault In Holy Land From Islamists

While some Palestinians are trying to politicize Christmas and claim that Israel is trying to block Christian access to the Church of the Nativity, there are others who are trying to kill Christians in Gaza.

They said four masked gunmen tried to kidnap Nabil Fuad Ayad, who works as a guard at a local church. Nabil's cousin, Rami, was kidnapped and murdered two months ago by the same group, the sources said.

The sources identified the gunmen as members of the radical Islamic Salafi movement.

"They were dressed in the traditional Salafi clothes," said an eyewitness. "They were also carrying guns."

The gunmen tried to force Ayad into their car as he was walking in the street, but he managed to escape to a nearby shop. Shopkeepers who began shouting drove the gunmen away.

As they fled the scene, the assailants fired several shots into the air.

Salafism represents a Sunni Islamic school of thought whose followers argue that Islam was perfect and complete during the days of Prophet Muhammad, but that undesirable innovations have been added due to materialist and cultural influences.

Al Qaeda is an offshoot of the Salafists, who would consider any Muslim who doesn't strictly adhere to their own brand of Islam to be apostate. Death awaits those who do not conform.

This is who is looking to control and dominate Gaza and the territories vacated by Israel. These aren't groups with whom you can negotiate land for peace because they fundamentally reject your very essence and rationale for dominion over the land as you are not Muslim in land they deem to be theirs.

Islamists are chasing out Palestinian Christians, and are de fact cleansing Gaza of its Christian population just as surely as Christians have fled Bethlehem as a result of the Islamic terrorists pushing Christians out of a city central to Christianity for 2,000 years. Sure, the PA may make a show of how Christians can come to Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas, but it is just that - a show.