There is no tally of how many of the people inside the Church of the Nativity are Muslims and how many are Christians.
On Tuesday night, April 2, 2002 a battle broke out in the streets of Bethlehem. The Israeli forces moved into the city. Local Palestinians (200-250) sought refugee in the church. Bethlehem has a population of approximately 30,000 people half of whom are Christians.
The people inside the church are not hostages. They are there because they were simply searching for a safe place where to hide.
Rev. Amjad Sabbar a Roman Catholic parish priest in the compound said, “ No, no, no. We are not hostages. We share everything we have with these people, and pray that they will be able to leave peacefully and go back to their homes.”
The civilians inside the church freely chosen to remain in that place because they consider the church as their homes. Until now they didn’t committed any act of violence or abuse against the religious community.
Rev. Michael McGarry Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Christians Studied said, “For the church, it’s a very important honor and matter of dignity to allow people to seek refugee there and not turn them over in the face of a hostile situation.”
Both Muslims and Christians are trying to survive and to live under the Israeli occupation. Christian-Muslim relations are strong through centuries. There are in town and villages where Muslims and Christians live side-by-side and interact in their pursuit of daily pre-occupations and concerns.
Fr. Hannan Atallah, Archimandrite of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land said, “We are Arabs, and what affects the Arab nation, affects us directly and profoundly. Our church has always been on the side of the Arab nation, and it will always be, and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people must be restored…our church clings to the teaching of Jesus who stood with the oppressed against the oppressor.”
Source:
http://www.jerusalemites.org/crimes/crimes_against_christianity/36.htm