Christians in the Middle East Decreasing

While I agree that our numbers in the region are falling, the Christians in the Arab world are not immigrating in any larger number than their Muslim compatriots. Yes, there may be a perceived sense of fear and alienation among Christians in some countries but that sense of fear and alienation afflicts other communities in those countries. While Western media report a mass Christian exodus from Iraq, nobody mentions the Muslim-affiliation of millions of other Iraqis that have left the country. In areas where there are no conflicts, some Christians do immigrate because they feel they may not be safe in the future, but their numbers are matched by Muslims who also immigrate for the same or other reasons. While the Western media fails to report on their exit from the Arab world, Muslim immigrants in the West become regular features in the newspapers as either suspect terrorists or communities unable to integrate. On the other hand, Christian Arabs are no longer a headline once they exit the Arab world.

But I digress. I believe the real reason for our falling numbers is actually birth rates (but that’s not such a sensational newspaper topic). It is a problem, for sure, but it can’t be pinned on the politics of the region or Islam. I can’t back up my argument with statistical data, but anecdotal evidence from observing my community indicates that Christian families have smaller families. Few in my extended family among the younger generation have more than two children. I figured this may be the case among city dwellers, in general, but then again my husband comes from a village in Syria and there too few among the younger generation in his family have more than two children.

This is a problem that has no solution, I am afraid. And one that will continue to bring down our numbers in proportion to the general population and eventually render us a fraction of a fraction.