Pan-Arabism was an ideology aspiring to unify populations supposedly speaking Arabic from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian sea, highlighting indirectly the cultural superiority of these people over their coreligionists speaking other languages. Since then, only Lebanon has maintained a Christian population approaching anything like a plurality, although Egypt maintains the single-largest Christian population in the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, the European Crusades attempted, brutally, repeatedly but ultimately unsuccessfully, to restore Christian hegemony over the region. Much of the region either forcibly or voluntarily converted to Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries. Lebanon’s Maronites split off from the Vatican, in a huff, centuries ago, then agreed to return to the fold, preserving the rites, dogmas and customs of their choice. But, it has been far from a unified presence. The Eastern and Western Church don’t quite see eye to eye and haven’t for about 1,500 years. The 2,000-year presence has gone uninterrupted since, especially in the countries of the Levant: Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, Syria and Egypt. The Christian presence in the Middle East dates back, of course, to the advent of Jesus Christ during the Roman Empire. They are in Business, education, arts, finance, banking and politics. The Arab Christians are an estimated 13 million Christians still living in the Middle East in countries like Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Lebanon. Some prominent Coptic thinkers from this period are Salama Moussa, Louis Awwad and Secretary General of the Wafd Party Makram Obayd. Two of their significant cultural achievements include the founding of the Coptic Museum in 1910 and the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies in 1954. He abolished the jizya (a poll tax on non-Muslims) and allowed all Egyptians (Copts as well as Muslims) to enroll in the army.Ĭopts participated in the Egyptian national movement for independence and occupied many influential positions. Their position improved dramatically under the rule of Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century. The remainder of around 800,000 is divided between the Coptic Catholic and various Coptic Protestant churches. The CoptsĬopts in Egypt constitute the largest Christian community in the Middle East, as well as the largest religious minority in the region, accounting for an estimated 10% of the Egyptian population. Most Copts adhere to the Coptic Church of Alexandria. Just a few examples of these sects include: Maronite Christians, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic and Chaldean Christians, among many others. Many different Christian sects have their origins in the Middle East and are still present in the region. Christianity is, also, a monotheistic religion with its origins in the Middle East, and its teachings are based on the old and new testaments of the Bible. The lack of official data on the Christian populations of the Middle East makes it difficult to confirm their exact number, but it is estimated that there are between 12 and 16 million Christians living in this area. Christianity In The Middle East Arab Christians protesting. In Lebanon the Arab Christians are known for their zeal in defending Arab culture and were the first to publish Arab language dictionaries sold worldwide and for a long period of time Beirut was the capital of Arab culture because of its publications of books and related cultural activities financed and led by these dedicated people. The Arab Christians were always part and parcel of the Arab world: renowned politicians, writers, business people, actors, singers and Islam experts and when they migrated to Latin America in the 19th and 20th century, they took with them the Arab civilization and promoted it there by publishing newspapers, magazines, books, speaking the language and else.
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