Author: Erik Eliav Freas
Publisher/Publication: Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations
Volume/Issue: 26(3)
DOI/ISBN: 10.1080/09596410.2015.1041258
This article examines the extent to which the Christian Arabs were privileged during the British Mandate in Palestine via a statistical analysis of the actual numbers of Muslim and Christian Arabs employed by the British Mandatory government. The author sustains the existing perception of Christian favoritism among the majority Muslim Arab within Palestinian society in respect to government employment is rooted in the fact that the Christian Arabs were initially more educated and qualified. Even though soon the Muslim attained the required qualifications, the perception of Christian favoritism generated grievance among the Muslim population and became a divisive factor even within the Palestinian nationalist movement. Consequently, it came to impact the Muslim–Christian unity and the relationship between Arab national identity and Islam.