A Post-Christian Middle East?

Peter Bergen

CNN Security Analyst

OPINION

(CNN) -- There have been Christians in the Middle East since the time of, well, Christ.  Now that two millennium-long history could be in danger.  Islamist thugs have attacked dozens of churches across Egypt in the past few days, burning many of them down. ...

Residents of northeastern Syria, where Christians have historically been concentrated, estimate that one-third of the Christians there have fled the country during the past two years.

Similarly in Iraq, since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Christian Iraqi population may have dropped by as much as 50%, according to a CIA assessment.

Around World War II there were 100,000 Jews in Egypt, a community that had existed in Egypt since the time of the pharaohs.  Now, there are a handful of synagogues operating in Cairo. They are heavily guarded and generally empty as they cater only to the few dozen elderly Jews who are still left in Egypt.  One can only hope that this is not to be the fate of the Christians of the Middle East.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/22/opinion/bergen-post-christian-mid...