Palestine’s Christians Were Never Strangers to Islam | Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos
5/15/202641 min
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In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, we sit down with Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos, a Greek Orthodox nun who lived in Palestine, to discuss faith, identity, history, and the lived reality of Palestinians under occupation.
Mother Agapia shares her experiences living among Palestinian Christians and Muslims, reflecting on the spiritual importance of Palestine to Christians around the world, the history of Greek Orthodoxy in the Holy Land, and the resilience of both Christian and Muslim Palestinian communities enduring war, displacement, and oppression.
We also explore the changing attitudes toward Palestine in North America, the role of media figures in shaping public opinion, tensions facing Palestinian Christians, and the broader political and religious narratives surrounding the conflict.
This episode is a conversation about history, humanity, resistance, and faith. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMuhammad Jalal· Host0:00
This week on The Thinking Muslim, we're joined by Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos, who has lived and served in the West Bank. She shares her firsthand account of the challenges facing Palestinian Christians under Israeli occupation, and reflects on how some Christian institutions have aligned themselves with the Israeli state at the expense of their religious principles.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest0:21
All we ever hear is the Israeli narrative, when in reality it's not that at all.
Muhammad Jalal· Host0:25
There was this horrific video recently of an Israeli settler violently pushing- Yeah ... uh, a, a nun to the floor and kicking her.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest0:33
To the cement ground, yeah.
Muhammad Jalal· Host0:34
To the cement ground and kicking her.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest0:35
So the Prime Minister of Israel assassinated by a Jewish zealot, the Huwarra checkpoint. The Israeli soldier says, "Give me your crosses. Give me the little icons they had on their dashboard." The churches weren't demolished under Islam. Both Muslims and Christians in Palestine are victims of the occupation.
Muhammad Jalal· Host0:50
Mm-hmm.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest0:51
With Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and, uh, thankful to Tucker for starting to open that door and make people more aware.
Muhammad Jalal· Host0:58
Israel is, is committing als- you know, aggression, not only in Gaza but also the West Bank. But, but I- And throughout Lebanon, Syria- And throughout Lebanon, Syria and- The ultimate goal is to rid the land of all Palestinians. Right. Right-wing movement that's brewing.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest1:10
Mm-hmm.
Muhammad Jalal· Host1:10
And, and they usually use Saint George as sort of the symbol.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest1:14
But it's just ironic that Saint George comes from Palestine and is honored by the Christians and the Muslims there.
Muhammad Jalal· Host1:20
Why Palestine is so important to you.
Mother Agapia Stefanopoulos· Guest1:23
This is like breaking the wall between Heaven and Earth.
Muhammad Jalal· Host1:26
Mother