LebanonIs the Arab Spring Good News for Christians?Saturday, January 14th, 2012Kurt J. Werthmuller, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, writes the first in a series of articles focusing on “the background, present status, and possible future of the Christian communities of several… key countries in the Arab world.” An ‘Arab Winter’ Chills ChristiansThursday, December 8th, 2011“With the Arab Spring now bringing political turbulence to many other countries in the region, Christians throughout the Middle East are worried that what happened in Iraq may be a harbinger of misfortune to come in their own communities,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Christianity in the Middle East… But There’s a Slim Hope in HistorySaturday, November 26th, 2011“Fear is… a sentiment voiced often these days by Arab Christians, a sad refrain for an ancient community that was so long a force in politics and culture in the Arab world. These days, a community that still numbers in the millions — with the largest populations in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and the Palestinian territories — finds itself little more than a spectator to events reshaping a place it once helped create, and sometimes a victim of the violence that those events have unleashed,” The New York Times reports. Catholic Patriarchs Urge Middle Eastern Christians to Hang on to LandsMonday, November 21st, 2011“A gathering of Catholic patriarchs in the Middle East urged Christians Thursday to hold onto their lands and holy places despite the ongoing popular uprisings in the Arab world, which have raised fears about the presence of Christians in the region,” The Daily Star reports. Christianity Threatens to be Extinct in its BirthplaceSunday, November 20th, 2011“The real danger of having no Christian presence in the Middle East within the next 5 years will be one of the main topics at a upcoming conference hosted by Dr. Rob Dalrymple Director of the Bible Accadamy at Cornerstone Fellowship.” Lebanon: Patriarchs tackle situation of ChristiansSaturday, November 19th, 2011“The Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient kicked off its 20th conference Monday in Bkirki, where attendees are to discuss means to implement the recommendations of a Synod convened last year that focused on the situation of Christians in the Levant,” The Daily Star reports. For Lebanon’s Christians, the fear is what might come nextWednesday, November 9th, 2011Lebanese Christians wonder what the future holds after the Arab Spring. Lebanon Maronite Church patriarch fears Arab Spring extremismSunday, November 6th, 2011“The head of Lebanon’s Maronite church said he feared for the fate of Christians in the Middle East if the Arab Spring brought ‘radical groups’ to power to replace autocratic leaders,” Reuters reports. Christian minorities forced by fear into the dictators’ foldSaturday, October 22nd, 2011The National reports on consequences of the ‘Arab Spring’ on Christians in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. The forgotten Christians of the EastSaturday, October 15th, 2011“Just as the Jews of the Islamic world were forcibly removed from their ancient communities by the Arab rulers with the establishment of Israel in 1948, so Christians have been persecuted and driven out of their homes,” The Jerusalem Post reports. Assad Has No Friend in Lebanon’s ChristiansTuesday, September 27th, 2011Karim Anton Souaid writes in The Wall Street Journal that Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai does not speak for all Lebanese Christians when supporting Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and recalls Syrian violence against Lebanon's Christians under Assad’s father in the 1970s and ‘80s. “Growing up in war-torn Lebanon in the 1970s and '80s, I knew nothing but Syrian onslaughts,” he said. “During my youth, we were constantly running away from the shelling, bombing, booby-trapped cars and assassinations that the Syrian Army was perpetrating in Lebanon against the Christian population.” Lebanon’s Maronite Christian Head Sparks Debate Over SyriaWednesday, September 14th, 2011“We endured the rule of the Syrian regime. I have not forgotten that,” Patriarch Beshara Butros Rai told Agence France-Presse. “We do not stand by the regime, but we fear the transition that could follow.” Lebanon’s tongue tied ChristiansSunday, August 28th, 2011The Global Post asks why the Lebanese Church has not spoken out against Syria's Assad The Church’s vow of silence; Why the Lebanese Church has not spoken out against AssadFriday, August 26th, 2011Many Christians in Lebanon and Syria continue to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite six months pro-democracy uprising, and calls from the US and EU for Assad to step down. Assad is believed to have killed roughly 2,200 anti-regime protesters since the demonstrations began. However, Christians are afraid of extremism which could rise to power in a democratic society, and have also felt protected under Assad. The Persecution of Christians in the Middle EastSunday, August 21st, 2011“Today, Christians, regardless of affiliation, are being systematically harassed, persecuted, and murdered throughout the Middle East, the region of the globe from which Christianity first emerged,” the American Thinker reports. Only a just state protects the ChristiansThursday, August 11th, 2011“Former minister and Kataeb (Phalange) official Salim Sayegh said the only guarantee for Christians in Lebanon or Syria lies in a just state rather than a military regime that threatens all its factions,” The Daily Star reports. Beirut Official: Muslims Must Protect Christians in Middle EastWednesday, July 20th, 2011“Muslims in the Middle East should do everything they can to protect the minority Christian population in that area of the world,” Beirut’s Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil told the Christian Post. Middle East: Harder to bearSunday, April 24th, 2011The Financial Times reports on the rise of persecution and decline of Christianity throughout the Middle East. Persecution of Christians getting worse, says reportSaturday, March 19th, 2011The persecution of Christians worldwide has worsened dramatically in the past few years. Government collapse could result in Hezbollah ruleSaturday, January 22nd, 2011"We have seen the Christian population declining, the Muslim population growing. So if Hezbollah completely takes over, then obviously this goes from a moderate--even though there's been lots of problems, they're moderate--Muslim country, to one that is fanatical and is driven by a jihad mentality. It just changes the whole game-board in the Middle East." |
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