Migrants line-up at a registration point after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija, Macedonia, September 7, 2015. (REUTERS / Stoyan Nenov)
ishtartv.com - christiandaily.com
By Lorraine
Caballero 19 May, 2017
An
unprecedented Christian exodus is sweeping across the Middle East as the
Islamic State continues to target the religious minority in deadly attacks, a
trend that could see their population dwindle to a record low.
If
the record-breaking Christian exodus continues, the proportion of Christians
could drop to only 3 percent of the Middle East's population by 2025, while
they used to make up 13.6 percent of the population in the region. Their exodus
raises fears that radical groups will flourish in the region, Newsmax reports.
"The
disappearance of such minorities sets the stage for more radical groups to
dominate in society," according to Todd Johnson, the director of
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Center for the Study of Global
Christianity. "Religious minorities, at the very least, have a moderating
effect."
As
of now, Islam is still the main religion in the Middle East, and clashes between
rival sects under the same faith have led many to fear that violence will
continue to reign in the region. Another factor leading to the Christian exodus
is the existence of laws that discriminate against the religious minority, such
as the ones forbidding them from rebuilding their churches.
On
May 12, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the
Chaldean Catholic Church issued a joint statement calling for the establishment
of a safe zone for persecuted Christians. The leaders of the three main Iraqi
churches want that safe zone to be protected by the international community, Rudaw reports.
The
joint statement was released after Shiite cleric Ali Mousavi made a public
announcement declaring Iraqi Christians as "infidels." He said the
Christians in the country who still have not converted to Islam must pay the
jizya tax or depart from the Muslim areas.
In
addition, Mousavi called for the implementation of jihad to pressure the
Christians into embracing Islam or paying the jizya tax. This statement drew
widespread condemnation among Christian communities.
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