Oh little town of Bethlehem

Although this wasn't discussed that much in the book, I couldn't stop thinking about how many Christian biblical events and holidays have been completely divorced from their place of origin, namely the Middle East. Case in point, Christmas. As McAllister stated, the words "Arab" or "Muslim" instantly bring to mind all types of stereotypes and racist images. This is true of many other words as well, such Islam, Iraq, Egypt, etc. They are all related. Bethlehem however, even though it physically exists in the Middle East, brings to mind a whole different set of imagery. I'm sure if you asked most American kids and probably even some adults, they would say Bethlehem is an ancient city out of the bible where Jesus Christ was born on Christmas. I'm sure most wouldn't even know what part of the world it existed, or that it even still exists today. And even in the biblical sense, Bethlehem is pretty much limited to one manger, some animals, a star, an angel and a couple of people plus a baby. There are a lot of portrayals in the media of Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus Christ, but just for fun I've included a link to a childhood favorite out of Claymation Christmas.