The Situation of Christian Communities in the Middle East

Abstract

The article focuses on the study of the situation of Christian communities in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. In the Middle East, where Christianity was born more than two thousand years ago, representatives of this faith witnessed a number of socio-political, economic and demographic changes and faced not only oppression from the Muslim community, but also internal confessional contradictions. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt have long been of fundamental importance to Middle Eastern Christian communities, with their sectarian diversity. With the ongoing civil war and extremist activities in Syria, the Christian community has been particularly vulnerable. Maronites, who at the beginning of the 19th century. occupied a dominant position in Lebanon, are gradually giving way to the Muslim majority. After the invasion of American troops into Iraq in 2003 and the new stage in the history of the country that followed this event, associated with the activities of various terrorist groups, Iraqi Christians became the first point of impact from extremists and were demoralized. Despite the fact that Christianity was first spread in Alexandria in the 1st century, representatives of the Coptic Church in Egypt throughout history have faced numerous attacks and oppression of their national rights. In the context of the above significant and serious problems, it seems appropriate to study the situation of Christian communities in the four main territories of its settlement — Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt.