DAR AL ISLAM: THE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN LANDS RULED BY ISLAM IS INCREASING...THE WEST KISSES MOSLEM BUTT, THINKING IT WILL BUY 'GOODWILL'

Declining Christian population a fact of life in Arab societies
Shrinking numbers and influence problematic for entire region . . . and maybe also for the West
by Olivia Ward
FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER

Trails of acrid smoke rose from bombs dropped on Iraq by U.S. warplanes in December 1998. But inside Baghdad's Christian churches, the smoke was from incense, as the devout celebrated Christmas with masses and choral concerts, braving the four-day attack launched when Saddam Hussein hampered the efforts of United Nations weapons inspectors.

Today, Iraq's 700,000 Christians look back on that anxious period as the good old days as a murderous civil war rips apart the fabric of a society in which they once played a small but vital role.

Theirs is just one of several Christian communities in the Middle East that has shrunk dramatically over the past decade.

"The process began at the turn of the century and it has intensified in recent years," says Hilal Khashan, political science chair at the American University of Beirut. "There are 12 million Christians in the Middle East. If the current trend continues, there will be fewer than 6 million by 2025."

Estimates of the current Christian population vary, and census figures may be inaccurate or out of date, as migration continues in record numbers. Wars in Iraq and Lebanon have accelerated the exodus, along with burgeoning violence in the Palestinian Territories.

Analysts say the shrinking of Christian numbers and influence will be problematic dor societies throughout the region, and potentially for the West.

"Their contribution to society has always been far greater than their numbers," Khashan said in a phone interview. "They have been vital in the Arab enlightenment, leading in every walk of life, from the professions to business and education. It's hard to imagine the region without Christians.

"Every time there's a confrontation, more people leave. In some countries, there's extreme fundamentalism, and a jihadist movement is on the loose."

Christians have been a traditional bridge between the mainly Muslim Middle East and the largely Christian West, transcending religion and emphasizing the similarities between cultures. Among the most highly educated in the region, they were often its moderates and negotiators with the outside world.

Without them, says Nina Shea, director of the Washington-based Center for Religious Freedom, "we'll see greater Islamization of the people who stay behind. And there will be more consciousness of being Islamic, rather than Arab, first. It will make our relations more difficult with that part of the world and will be a detriment to our connections with it."

Of all the Christian communities, Iraq's is the most threatened – a bitterly ironic development for those who were once among its influential citizens.

"In Saddam Hussein's time, Christians were treated much better than now," says Jan Khayat, an Iraqi-born accountant who now lives near Toronto. "Some of the (Catholic) Chaldeans from northern Iraq were very close to Saddam, guarding him and feeding him."

Now, there are reports of "protection taxes" imposed by Muslim extremists on those who refuse to leave or convert to Islam. Christian churches and neighbourhoods throughout the country have been bombed and dozens have died in attacks on clergy and believers.

"Christians are afraid to shop, let alone go to church," says Khayat. "One family of six only goes out together when they need to buy necessities. They are afraid to leave the girls at home alone. But they always have the feeling that they can as easily be killed in the street."

Throughout the Middle East, Christians complain that they are in the worst of all worlds – viewed as outsiders by Islamists but held in suspicion as Arabs by the West.

In multi-sectarian Lebanon, the Christian community of 1.4 million is shrinking despite being politically influential and representing more than one-third of the population.

In the Palestinian Territories, continuing violence between Palestinian factions, as well as Israeli restrictions and a disastrous economic embargo, have driven out Christians who once made up more than 7 per cent of the Arab population but now account for less than 2 per cent, according to a recent survey.

In Bethlehem, the legendary birthplace of Christ, the 80 per cent Christian majority has shrunk to only 15 per cent.

Ray Mouawad, a Lebanese historian who focuses on Syriac Christians, says political instability and growing fundamentalism are a threat not just to Christians but to all religious minorities, as well as to secular Muslims.

For Islamic fundamentalists, he says, "no building of churches is allowed, no display of the cross, no processions, no equality in the law, no participation in the political process and, of course, no freedom of conscience. These are just some ideas that are prevalent in fundamentalist circles from Iran to Morocco."

Today, Egypt is home to the Middle East's largest Christian community, numbering about 6 million, including descendents of the ancient Copts.

Although they experience little overt violence, they are uneasy about workplace discrimination and electoral rules they say leave them politically under-represented. They also complain of restrictions on building new churches to replace those that are crumbling.

Conditions are far worse in Saudi Arabia, where 300,000 or so Christians lead difficult, furtive lives. Non-Muslim worship is banned, and those who attend "underground" services may be severely punished or deported. But in practice, the authorities may ignore "private" worship as long as it is not aimed at converting Saudi Muslims.

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