Christians in the Holy Land
Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt
Some converts, especially from Islam to Christianity may face discrimination. This is true through most countries although it is a rare event.
Again because Christians tend to be more highly educated than other groups, they have large representation in Parliament, more so than their Muslim peers. They also hold positions in government, abroad, for example as ambassadors, and in the military.
70% are Palestinians. Most are well integrated into society.
Most of the schools are Catholic.
Also Anglican and Baptist.
•Stone age caverns used by Christians for worship (Smakieh), one of the oldest Christian communities in Jordan
•King Abdullah strong supporter of Christian education. He is a graduate of Georgetown University
•Refugees mostly Iraqi and Syrian (3 million)
•Assyrians in Iraq spoke Aramaic and fled when Saddam tried to Arabize
•Assyrians descendants of ancient Assyrian empire mostly in modern day Iraq
•Chaldeans also lived in ancient Iraq and spoke language similar to Aramaic also referred to as Syriac
•Eastern rite Catholic churches (uniate) are Chaldeans, Melkites, Armenian Catholic, and Coptic Catholic all from Orthodox churches due to Catholic missionary work. Also Maronites. They remain Eastern in their basic character, life, and worship with loyalty to their heritage
•Iraq 26 million.
•Thaddeus one of the lesser known apostles also known as Jude. He and Thomas the apostle brought Christianity to Iraq.
•Catholics and Protestants (Presbyterian mission) provided the finest education.
•Both were expelled as government became anti Western
•Tarek Aziz Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister buried in Amman (Assyrian Catholic)
•Eastern rite Catholic churches (uniate) are Chaldeans, Melkites, Armenian Catholic, and Coptic Catholic all from Orthodox churches due to Catholic missionary work. Also Maronites. They remain Eastern in their basic character, life, and worship with loyalty to their heritage
•Iraq 26 million.
•Thaddeus one of the lesser known apostles also known as Jude.
•Catholics and Protestants (Presbyterian mission) provided the finest education.
•Both were expelled as government became anti Western
•Tarek Aziz Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister buried in Amman (Assyrian Catholic)
•There were Christian generals in Saddam’s government. He trusted them more than the Shiites who were the majority
•A number of events caused mass migration out of Iraq into neighboring Syria, Lebanon, & Jordan as well as to the West.
•Iran Iraq war 1980
•Sanctions1990
•Gulf War 1&2
•ISIL
Islamic State of Iraq and Levant
Although many Christians fled Iraq, others have vowed to stay and rebuild their churches.
When American missionaries (PCUSA) first went to Egypt they were able to do so because of religious freedom
They went to convert Muslims but found lively Christian communities. Many Coptic Orthodox people were converted by the missionaries. This has been a bone of contention between the two groups.
There are many Christians in Egypt, a country of 100+ million
15% are Christian with the Coptic Catholic church being the largest denomination followed by others.
Immigration for a better future, better jobs
Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo est. 1923.
Started as a houseboat on the Nile. Would travel from Aswan to Cairo
Mornings were dedicated to studying and the afternoons for work in the community
Christian missionaries found Egyptians to be very friendly and hospitable
Like many other Christians throughout the Middle East, many want to emigrate abroad.
Egyptian
Christians
were enthusiastic participants in the Arab Spring and protests that led to the
fall of Mubarak.
Shenouda worked diligently to foster interfaith ties in the country. He often said that the fate of Muslims and Christians should be one. One such effort was to prevent the Copts from visiting Jerusalem, “except with our brothers the Muslims, following its liberation.” Shenouda’s support of a Muslim cause is a testament to his outreach.
For 40 years he was the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox church
