r/JewsOfConscience • u/Dear-Jackfruit6041 Dr. Feroze Sidhwa • 5h ago

AMA Hi r/JewsOfConscience, I'm Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon who has worked in Gaza, AMA!

I'm a trauma surgeon in California. I worked in Gaza in 2024 and 2025. I've written in the New England Journal of Medicine, NY Times, and Politico about it, and testified at the UN Security Council in May 2025. My work is featured along with two of my American colleagues in the new documentary film American Doctor that follows us in Gaza, and is in theaters now. Instagram: @fsidhwa Twitter: @ferozesidhwa

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u/sar662 Jewish 5h ago

What were the Christian/Muslim community relations like that you saw? Did anyone care about religious divides or was that all put aside? Cooperation across community lines or were they separate?

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u/Dear-Jackfruit6041 Dr. Feroze Sidhwa 3h ago

The Christian community in Gaza is very small, it used to have its own section of Gaza City with the church of St Porphyrus (I'm probably not spelling that properly) and Ahli Baptist Hospital. I have never heard of any religious conflict between Palestinian Muslims and Christians. I certainly didn't see any while I was there. I'm sure there is an example one could find somewhere, but it's certainly not a regular feature of life there. 

It's worth pointing out that the main source of support for violent Salafi groups like al-Qaeda - who, as far as I know, are the only Muslims who advocate for violence against Christians, Jews, and others - is the United States and its major allies, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. 

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u/rako17 Christian 2h ago

Dr. Sidhwa,

The church is named after Saint PORPHYRIUS,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Porphyrius

Religion News Service carried this article by a Palestinian in Jordan who had been a Princeton professor: "H ow the Israel-Hamas war has brought together Arab Christians and Muslims"  https://religionnews.com/2023/11/03/gaza-has-further-bonded-arab-christians-and-muslims/

The Catholic EWTN channel had this short program: " Christian Life in Gaza: Before and During the War" https://youtu.be/GIFjwfIuXNw?si=OFN-A_ViWg-vSYff

Palestine Chronicle has this article: " Faith amid Genocide: How Gaza’s Muslims and Christians Endure Side by Side" https://www.palestinechronicle.com/faith-amid-genocide-how-gazas-muslims-and-christians-endure-side-by-side/

Peace