Middle East Christians

The birth place of Christianity has a diminishing Christian population. Much of it has to do with the ongoing violence in the Middle East. It's never ending.

In the Palestinian territories the Christian population is about 2%, and they are not too popular, and are often subject to terror and persecution. I read part of an interview of an Arab Christian, and in their view, persecution isn't because of the Palestinians doing it, it's the US's (and the Jews) fault. Razek Siriani, who works for the Middle East Council of Churches in Aleppo, Syria: "We're completely outnumbered and surrounded by angry voices." "It's because of what Christians in the West, led by the US, have been doing in the East." It's because the US supports Israel, and George Bush. "To many Muslims, especially the fanatics, this looks like the Crusades all over again, a war against Islam waged by Christianity. Because we're Christians, they see us as the enemy too. It's guilt by association."

The exodus is primarily the result of the violence. Generations of it. There have been many inter-faith programs between Muslims and Christians, without much success. A monk, Paolo Dalll'Oglio, who hosts a well known program: "You can't live alongside people for a thousand years and see them as the children of Satan. On the contrary, Muslims are us. This is the lesson the West has yet to learn and that Arab Christians are uniquely qualified to teach. They are the last, vital link between the Christian West and the Arab Muslim world. If Arab Christians were to disappear, the two sides would drift even further apart than they already are. They are the go-between."

I can understand his wish and sentiment. Muslims still want to annihilate Jews, and after that Christians. Until I see the larger Muslim population rise up, hunt down, kill and imprison Islamofasists, I'll be hard pressed to think anything other than Islamofacism is predominate and supported in the Middle East. They are out to destroy Western Civilization, convert all to Islam and force all to live under Sharia law. I'm sad to read comments from Arab Christians that sound just like Islamists. It's all America and the Jews fault; not the people doing the murdering. Sad.

Just the numbers: (Present day Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestinian Territories) In 1882 Christianity was about 25% of the population; 1914 about 26%; 1945 about 19% and 2007 about 9%. Lebanon's current Christian population is about 1.5 million, Jordan about 258,000, Syria about a million, and Israel about 121,000.

The Christian population is diminishing rapidly, with no reason to expect a slow down of the exodus. Of course, most want to come to the US, the main cause of their persecution and suffering through so much war.