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→Christians in Gaza Strip
Israel controls the Gaza strip’s airspace and offshore maritime access, in order to prevent more materials being given to Hamas terrorists.
Israel controls the Gaza strip’s airspace and offshore maritime access, in order to prevent more materials being given to Hamas terrorists.
==Blacks==
==Afro Palestinians in Gaza==
The majority of families with dark skin in Gaza originate from Sudan and Egypt, many of them came to work in the Ottoman Empire's army hundreds of years ago.<ref name=almonitor2013/>
Wealthy Arab families in Gaza participated in the slave trade.<ref name=almonitor2013/>
Black Palestinians constitute a minority of one per cent of the total population of the two million inhabitants living in Gaza Strip.<ref name=gn2017/>
They have to work twice as hard to prove himself.
Many black Palestinians are not considered for jobs that require direct communication or interaction with customers..<ref name=gn2017/>
Majority of Palestinians do not marry black Palestinians, although recently there have been some changes in mentality..<ref name=gn2017/>
In some areas, it is strictly forbidden for Arab Palestinians to marry black Palestinians, but in other areas..<ref name=gn2017/>
The situation is worse for black Palestinian women — while dark-skinned men may be able to marry light-skinned Palestinians, the reverse is mostly not accepted..<ref name=gn2017/>
Some mixed races couples are threatened by family of the Arab side to renounce him in the newspapers..<ref name=gn2017/>
Sometimes the racism is expressed nonverbally through looks.
Some tell of discriminatory experiences growing up.
Racist taunts toward Gaza’s African minority are not uncommon, despite centurieslong African migration to Palestine.<ref name=almonitor2013>Asmaa al-Ghoul, "[https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2013/11/black-palestinians-suffer-racism.html Black Palestinians shrug off racism], Al Monitor, November 4, 2013.
<blockquote>
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — “Hey, chocolate,” “Hey, cappuccino,” “Hey, Galaxy [brand of chocolate],” “Hey, brown one” and “Hey, black one,” are jocular expressions used by some in Gaza when a man, woman or child of African descent passes by. Sometimes the racism is expressed nonverbally through looks. Gazans, however, seem unaware of this racism.
Al-Monitor met with political activist Samah al-Rawagh, 33, at her home and asked her whether she experienced any discrimination due to her skin color. She made light of the matter. Yet, when her father Ahmad al-Rawagh, 80, recounted incidents he had experienced involving racism, Samah was shocked. “That’s the first time I’ve heard such stories from you,” she said.
“I struggled a lot to overcome the difficulties caused by the color of my skin. I always had to doubly prove myself at school, at work and in life, because I’m dark-skinned,” Ahmad said...
Ahmad remembers when he was a teacher in the late 1950s, and one of his colleagues invited everyone, except him, to a wedding. “That day, I felt embarrassed, and I decided that no one in my family would go through such an experience,” he said...
Samah agreed with her father and added, “I never felt that the color of my skin made me different from others. I always had the best toys and clothing. I studied in a private school, and I felt that people liked me. Sometimes, I heard comments that bothered me, but this is the first time I’ve heard about my father’s suffering.”
Samah did not deny that she has been hearing more discriminatory words recently, but she denied that it is about hate. “I hear phrases such as ‘Hey, Galaxy.’ But I sometimes feel that it’s banter, rarely for the purpose of harassing me,” she said...
"Africans first entered Palestine during the Islamic conquests, specifically when Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab entered Jerusalem, accompanied by a number of Africans. African communities from Chad, Nigeria, Sudan and Senegal came in the late 19th century, either for worship or to participate in the resistance," Bakhit noted in an interview with Al-Monitor.
According to Gaza Through History, a book by Ibrahim Sakik, wealthy families in the Gaza Strip participated in the slave trade hundreds of years ago. Another book, Delighting in the Wealth of Gaza's History, notes that some of the residents of the Palestinian village of Berbera were dark-skinned people who came from Morocco.
The "black neighborhood"
Next to the Rawagh family’s home there is an entire area on Jala Street inhabited by dark-skinned Gazans. The people and taxi drivers refer to it as the “black neighborhood” or the “dark-skinned neighborhood."
Mohammed Abu Rashed, 13, who is a talented soccer player and dreams of becoming like Lionel Messi, recounted his experience to Al-Monitor. “At school, they say ‘Hey, chocolate,’ but I don’t pay attention to them.” His friend Ahed, 17, interrupted and said, “Liar. We do get bothered.” ...
Abed al-Rawagh, 21, who works at a grocery store at the neighborhood’s entrance, told Al-Monitor that racism affects his business. “I don’t feel discriminated against until a white girl or woman comes to buy from the grocery store. As soon as she sees me, she changes her mind about buying and leaves. There’s a widespread belief that a black man would harm her. That offends me.”..
Bakhit, who lives in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, recalled an incident with one of the security services in Gaza after the split in 2007. “The policeman looked inside a taxi and ordered the two dark-skinned men inside, us, to step out. So my brother and I stepped out, and we headed to the search location. After they made sure that we weren’t suspects, we went back to the car. I felt very insulted. The driver asked me why. I told him ‘It seems we are now in Chicago!'”</blockquote></ref>
One interviewed:<ref name=almonitor2013/>
<blockquote>Abed al-Rawagh, 21, who works at a grocery store at the neighborhood’s entrance, told Al-Monitor that racism affects his business. “I don’t feel discriminated against until a white girl or woman comes to buy from the grocery store. As soon as she sees me, she changes her mind about buying and leaves. There’s a widespread belief that a black man would harm her. That offends me.”</blockquote>
Another one tells<ref name=almonitor2013/> about experience right after Hamas took control:<blockquote>
...after the split in 2007. “The policeman looked inside a taxi and ordered the two dark-skinned men inside, us, to step out. So my brother and I stepped out, and we headed to the search location. After they made sure that we weren’t suspects, we went back to the car. I felt very insulted. The driver asked me why. I told him ‘It seems we are now in Chicago!'”</blockquote>
Security forces have been recently (2017) very harsh on black Palestinians. Like selecting them out for further security checks.<ref name=gn2017>"[https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/black-palestinians-face-subtle-racism-in-gaza-1.2018514 Black Palestinians face subtle racism in Gaza]." Ahmed Alnaouq, Special to Gulf News. May 05, 2017.<blockquote>
Obaid, who believes his ancestors came from Sudan, says he has to work twice as hard to prove himself.
Gaza: Black Palestinians constitute a minority of one per cent of the total population of the two million inhabitants living in Gaza Strip.
While its is difficult to accurately pin their exact origins, many say they came from Ghana, Sudan and Egypt — or at least that’s what has been passed down through their oral history.
Many first came to Palestine during the Islamic conquests as slaves to serve their owners in the seventh century.
It is also reported that another wave of Africans emigrated to Palestine in the late 19th century to work as merchants or fighters under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Despite their deep roots in Palestine, many still encounter racism and discrimination, although it is to a much less degree as how poorly people of colour are treated in other countries — particularly the US.
Mohammad Obaid, 26, a folklore dancer and founder of the Dabke Club for children, thinks his ancestors originally came from Sudan.
“My grandparents worked as merchants in 1948 areas, which is considered Beersheba in Israel today..."
At least 11,000 black Palestinians live in Al Jalla’a district of Gaza in a neighbourhood called “Al Abeed” which means slaves in Arabic...
Although there is no official discriminatory policy against black Palestinians, Obaid says that subtle racism makes his life more difficult than lighter skinned Palestinians.
“If I wasn’t the best dancer, I wouldn’t be on the Dabke team,” he said.
“I always have to prove myself twice as much as others.”
Many black Palestinians are not considered for jobs that require direct communication or interaction with customers.
The majority of Palestinians do not marry black Palestinians, although recently there have been some changes in mentality.
“Where I live, people accept to marry black Palestinians, but in other areas it is strictly forbidden,” he said.
It is worse for black Palestinian women — while dark-skinned men may be able to marry light-skinned Palestinians, the reverse is mostly not accepted.
“I knew a couple who were in love but the father of the would-be groom threatened to renounce him in the newspapers. Sadly, they separated,” he said.
And Obaid says the security forces have been recently very harsh on black Palestinians.
When the cops pulled him and his friends over recently, he was the only one from the passengers pulled out for further security checks.
He took his anger out by writing a poem directed at the police entitled “Blacks are not security suspects”...
“The police treatment has gotten worse, so for the first time I thought about leaving.”
But for Karama, a 34-year-old Palestinian woman, who has a black father and white mother, race has never gotten in the way of her success.
“I personally haven’t experienced any discrimination,” she told Gulf News.
“Blacks are sometimes preferred by some organisations who seek diversity.”
Karama has participated and led many different social work initiatives and ceremonies, but she acknowledges that having a white mother could be the reason.
“I know in other areas of Gaza, people are not as accepting.”</blockquote></ref>
See related:
*[[Israel_Apartheid_slur#Current_racist_Arab-Palestine|Current racist Arab-Palestine]]
==Christians in Gaza Strip==
==Christians in Gaza Strip==