Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East face an existential threat. They may soon be gone.
What is happening? Forced displacement; kidnapping for ransom; sexual slavery; executions; attacks on places of worship; pressure to convert to Islam.
Who? Mainly violent Islamist extremist groups, sometimes sup- ported by Western governments and their Islamist allies like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.
Why? Islamist extremists seek to assert supremacy over non-Muslims, and impose discriminatory sharia norms on the whole of society, often using violence. This reduces non-Muslims to second-class citizens or worse.
Iraq
Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Christians and other religious minorities have been increasingly targeted by Islamist extremists. The violence has become genocidal. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee, elsewhere in Iraq or abroad. Many are still living in precarious conditions. For those who can return home, everything needs to be rebuilt.
Syria
The war has pushed over 5 million Syrians to seek refuge in the region and beyond. More than 6 million are displaced within the country and countless civilians have been injured and killed by warfare. Much of the country’s infrastructure has been damaged, a situation com- pounded by economic sanctions. The domination of the Syrian opposition by Islamist extremists has marginalized many Syrians and leaves Christians and other religious minorities particularly vulnerable.
Egypt
The Christian community is frequently the target of terrorist attacks, and continues to be subjected to discriminatory sharia norms.
The crisis
Nigeria is one of the deadliest countries in the world for non-Muslims. Christians in the northern part of the country are particularly vulnerable.
- What is happening? Destructions of Christian villages; forced conversions; displacement; abductions and kidnapping; forced labor; summary executions; attacks on churches and public places; denial of basic services; political marginalization.
- How? Christians are under attack by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria, as well as bands of well-armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt region. Christians are also discriminated against, especially in the 12 northern states ruled by sharia law.
- Why? Islamist extremists seek to assert supremacy over non-Muslims, and impose discriminatory sharia norms on the whole of society, often using violence. This reduces non-Muslims to second class citizens or worse.