ScreamingEagle
Gold Member
- Jul 5, 2004
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The rise of Islamist movements in countries swept by the Arab revolutions has sent shudders through the region's Christians who fear for their survival and question the future make-up of the Middle East.
...
The number of Iraqi Christians currently stands at about 400,000, from an estimated 800,000-1.2 million before the 2003 US-led invasion.
In Egypt, the Christian Coptic community has also been the target of sectarian attacks.
And in Syria there are fears among the Christian minority that Islamic extremists could rise to power should the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapse.
The Christian communities' fears are fed by the fact that while the Arab revolts that began a year ago initially appeared to be largely secular in character, that has changed as Islamist parties gradually came to the forefront, winning elections in Tunisia and Egypt.
In Libya, the new rulers said the country would make Islamic sharia law the main source of legislation.
Lebanon is the only Arab country where Christians still play a key role in politics.
The community over the years has nonetheless dwindled and currently represents an estimated 34 percent of the population of four million, as opposed to more than half in the 1940s.
"The revolutions in Arab countries have driven the Islamists to power," said Farzat, a 55-year-old Syrian engineer who asked his last name not be used.
"In 20 years at the utmost there won't be any Christians left in Syria," he predicted, reflecting the concerns of many fellow Christians in the region.
...
The number of Iraqi Christians currently stands at about 400,000, from an estimated 800,000-1.2 million before the 2003 US-led invasion.
In Egypt, the Christian Coptic community has also been the target of sectarian attacks.
And in Syria there are fears among the Christian minority that Islamic extremists could rise to power should the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapse.
The Christian communities' fears are fed by the fact that while the Arab revolts that began a year ago initially appeared to be largely secular in character, that has changed as Islamist parties gradually came to the forefront, winning elections in Tunisia and Egypt.
In Libya, the new rulers said the country would make Islamic sharia law the main source of legislation.
Lebanon is the only Arab country where Christians still play a key role in politics.
The community over the years has nonetheless dwindled and currently represents an estimated 34 percent of the population of four million, as opposed to more than half in the 1940s.
"The revolutions in Arab countries have driven the Islamists to power," said Farzat, a 55-year-old Syrian engineer who asked his last name not be used.
"In 20 years at the utmost there won't be any Christians left in Syria," he predicted, reflecting the concerns of many fellow Christians in the region.