ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

125 out of a population of 1,300,000 survive. Only thirty years ago Lebanon was consi- dered an example of peaceful coexistence between Christians, who were the majo- rity, and Muslims. Today the situation is plummeting. Also in Turkey Christians have disappeared almost everywhere, while at the beginning of the 20th century they were 32% of the population; in Iraq they fell from 35% to 5; in Iran from 15% to 2; in Syria from 4% to 10; in Palestine and Jordan from 25% to 4. This is a real exodus due, unfortunately, to the often veiled persecution to which Chri- stians are subjected: participation in public life is denied because only Muslims are al- lowed to hold office; freedom of association and worship is denied; areas and attitudes are harassed (wearing necklaces with the cross, carrying sacred books) that limit the simplest personal freedom and so on. As far as the holy places are concerned, Jerusalem had 33,000 Christians in 1948, in 1993 there were only 8,000 out of a population of 493,000. Considering that the local population growth rate should be 70,000, the proportion is nine times lower and is due to emigration to the West. The few remaining faithful are divided into numerous Christian communities grou- ped according to origin, in the following extractions: 1) - Palestinian Syrian to which the Gre- ek Orthodox, Greek Melkite Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic and Maronite communities belong, origina- ting from the encounter between Helle- nistic and Syrian culture; - the Latin community, founded by the Cru- saders and restored in 1847, formed by local Christians who have the Latin rite; - the Anglican and Lutheran communities composed of the local Arab faithful; 2) - Armenian extraction forming the Ar- menian Church present in the country since time immemorial; 3) - Coptic extraction forming the Coptic Church from Egypt; 4) - Ethiopian extraction originating in Ethiopia. The local authorities have long been awa- re of the reduction in the Christian presen- ce and have worked in various ways to curb the emigration of young people by providing couples with home and work, and there are also many initiatives by the Churches themselves to increase the arri- val and residence of pilgrims from all over the world. Source: Giuseppe Samir Eid: "Christians and Muslims towards 2000", Pauline, Mi- lan, 1995. Edited by Alessia Biasiolo

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