ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

134 In Aleppo, in Syria, in the short space of a few years Christians have been reduced to a few thousand and, because of the con- tinuation of the current oppression, they are destined to disappear. In Lebanon, as declared by the current Patriarch of the Church of that country, the exodus of Ma- ronites, Orthodox and Catholics continues unceasingly. The Christians of Iraq are continually persecuted and condemned to death according to Sharia law, as the many Iraqi refugees living in Italy testify. Even Egypt, a country that passes for progress, has made it difficult for Cop- tic Christians to survive. They must hide their faith; otherwise they are marginali- zed and consequently cannot work for a living. I have seen this in person through direct testimony during a stay in Sharm el-Sheikh. I could continue on the same subject, always with anti-Christian facts and actions ascertained in Iran, Turkey, Algeria, Pakistan, and Sudan and so on. It is not the building of some churches, as your answer shows, that can determine Islamic countries as tolerant. When these churches are empty becau- se attending them can cost you your life, perhaps it is better not to build them. Gabriele Murra, Bolzano Dear Murra, I didn't say Islamic countries are tolerant. I merely explained why the principle of reciprocity is difficult to apply in the circu- mstances I described. And I added that a democratic country, founded on toleran- ce, cannot fail in its principles without be- traying itself. There are, however, arguments in your letter that suggest some reflection. It is certainly true that Christians, in some Muslim countries, are victims of unjust treatment and deprived of certain funda- mental freedoms. But the cases listed by you are very heterogeneous. In Syria, a few months ago, I was very favourably struck by two factors: the hospitality provided by the Syrian authorities to Iraqi refugees (many of whom are Christians) and the existence of a neighbourhood in Aleppo in which there are churches representing all the Christian cults of the Levant. In Lebanon, recently, I met the Patriarch of the Maronites, Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, in his palace in Bkirki on the slopes of the hills that climb towards Mount Lebanon. From him I learned that a million Maro- nites left the country during the long ye- ars of the civil war. They did not leave, however, because they suffered particu- lar discrimination and persecution. They left a country at war because, unlike other religious groups, they could count on the solidarity of a large Maronite dia- spora (about eight million people), now happily installed in Europe, the Americas and Australia. I remind you that in Lebanon, despite the sharp decrease in the Christian compo- nent, the material constitution still provi- des for the President of the Republic (the last one was elected by Parliament two months ago) to be Maronite. The Iraqi case is certainly the most painful. I have met Assyrian and Chaldean refugees in Damascus, who have been mistreated, blackmailed, forced to choose between exile and death. But it is worth remembe- ring that in Saddam Hussein's Iraq these same Christians could freely profess their faith and exercise their economic activi- ties. The drama of Iraqi Christian commu- nities began with the American invasion of the country in the spring of 20. In Egypt the Copts represent roughly 6% of a po- pulation of 71 million people. There have been incidents and bloody clashes with radical Islamism groups, especially during the election campaign