The Middle East's Christian population has been gradually
dwindling and is on the defensive with respect to its identity -
and even its very existence. In the early 20th century
Christians made up some 20% of the Middle East's population.
Today they amount to less than 5% of the population. The reasons
for the Christians' crisis in our region are related to their
success as a modern group with low growth rate and free
immigration to Western countries. But the assault on the
Christians in their home countries stems mostly from the
processes of Islamization, which push them away from the Arab
collective. If not so long ago the Christians considered
themselves an integral part of the Arab nation (as did many Arab
leaders), things have changed dramatically over the past few
decades. The Christians were proud of their loyalty to the Arab
nation and of the fact that Christian Arabs played a key role in
shaping the Arab national identity, which is free of religious
preferences. But the Arab-national vision that incl