Christians in the Middle East

Iraqi Christian during a demonstration several years ago

Through the years I've used this blog to condemn religious persecution and marginalization wherever it may be found. I've written about the disturbing mass incarceration of Muslims in China, as well anti-Jewish activities Canada, to give a couple of examples.

I've also drawn attention to violence and discrimination toward Christians in many countries and I've expressed sadness that in Israel, the land of Jesus' birth, the Christian population has been declining for decades. I'm also puzzled and disappointed that the United Church has never shown much interest in the persecution of sisters and brothers in Christ, and I've not been sure why. Granted, it seems that evangelical churches have a deeper interest in drawing attention to Christian persecution and displacement world-wide, but does that mean the issues aren't real and worth our attention.

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary issued a report earlier this year on the decline of Christian populations in a number of Middle Eastern countries and I think its worth considering. I'm not suggesting that we condemn other religions as a result, just that we're aware. I'll note as well that these declines are not necessarily because of persecution, but too often it is a reality in places where tolerance and mutual respect were once upheld. It is terrible irony that the invasion of Iraq by the United States led coalition resulted in an exodus of Christians who were no longer protected by the regime of Saddam Hussein. There has been a mass exodus of Christians from Syria during the ongoing civil war. Within the Gordon-Conwell report we find:

Christians were 12.7% of the region’s population in 1900 but only 4.2% in 2020, and it is likely that they will only represent 3.7% of the population by 2050. Muslims have grown from 86% in 1900 to 92.4% in 2020, projected to reach 92.7% by 2050. Projections to 2050 are based on current Christian emigration trends and are particularly apparent in Iraq, Egypt and, most currently, Syria. If the political, economic and/or social conditions worsen in any of these countries, the numbers of Christians remaining in 2050 could be much lower.

Nine Middle Eastern countries experienced significant declines in their Christian percentages of their populations between 1900 and 2020: Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey. Of these, the most dramatic changes occurred in Lebanon, Turkey, Syria and Palestine, each of which dropped over 10 percentage points over the century. Lebanon dropped an astounding 42 percentage points.

As always, I encourage you to pray for Christian everywhere who are under threat or cannot survive on the margins of their societies.