development and civilisations

www.lebret-irfed.org ry 2011 N°390 Janua

Editorial Christians confronted Disturbing truths to the Arab world’s fractures he tragedy of Middle East

T Christians is first of all the tragedy into which their home by Boutros Labaki* countries are too often driven. In fact, it is impossible to dissociate Societies in the Arab world in general and its Christian communities their fate from that of the rest of the in particular are threatened by the rise of a backward and extremist population in Irak, , Syria, conception of Islam. Several tragic terrorist attacks have proven this Palestine or Egypt. The Christians recently. But, the fate of these communities cannot be dissociated who are now targeted by fanatic from the conflicts and sociopolitical fractures which are tearing up Islamism are victims no different from their brother Muslims, Shi'ites or the region, often due to the West’s blindness. Ignoring it means Sunnis, assassinated in numbers in denying history and reality. different attacks, each bloodier than the other. On top of that, blasting The term “Middle East” is a term coined of the second European expansion in oneself near a church or shooting the by Westerners to designate the region the Middle East. faithful present certainly reveals a covering Egypt, Asian Arab countries, deliberate type of religious cleansing. Turkey and Iran …In all these countries, A “Protection” Contract An Orient rid of the “unfaithful” is indigenous Christian communities exist, undoubtedly what the nebulous Al- The Christian communities, like the Qaeda desires. But, how can we not except in the countries of the Gulf and Jewish communities, were governed in relate this outbreak of anti-Christian the Arabian peninsula where the violence with the very tragedy of the resident Christian communities are their relations with those in power by a Iraqi or Palestinian people? emigrants from other Middle East contract of “protection/submission”, the countries, from Europe, Asia, Africa and Dhimma (which, in Arab, signifies “moral Extremism and terrorism always feed America. conscience”). In virtue of this contract, on chaos, on discrimination, on the Christians were free to practice their people’s repression and abuse. This is Christianity was born in Palestine and religion and therefore had their now so in Baghdad where the overthrow first spread out to countries which are churches, their schools, their convents, of the dictator Saddam Hussein (who now: Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, their religious hierarchies and their defended the Christians for a long time Turkey, then Irak, Iran and Arabia. It has ecclesiastic tribunals treating questions before courting the Islamists to therefore been long implanted in these of family law. They had to pay a specific circumvent the embargo and stay in power) opened the Pandora's box of lands. Six centuries later, Islam, in the tax, the jizya , and were exempted from settling of scores and sectarisation in course of its expansion, eliminated military service. society. It is so in Egypt where the Christianity from the Arabian peninsula, authoritarianism of an ending regime fans but coexisted with Christian communities Quite often, particularly in cities, they the worst instincts. It is the reality in which had initially welcomed it favorably, were subjected to discriminatory Palestine where the Israeli steamroller thinking that it was a new Christian sect. treatment: with distinctive clothing, and colonization tightens the worst of the forbidden to ride a horse and carry arms, nooses on . The Christian populations remained a obliged to give precedence to Muslims. majority in the Arab and Byzantine East This status varied according to the Boutros Labaki explains this very well: the up to the “Crusades” which Muslims period and was applied mostly in cities. fate of Middle East Christians cannot be called “War of the Franks”. The Muslim In the rural and especially the dissociated from the land that saw the “reconquista” of the Crusade-states had mountainous areas, the desert fringes birth and spread of Christianity. They are negative consequences on these and other regions far from the central the salt of the land, just like the other communities, whose percentage in the communities. Whoever seeks to destroy power, where many Christian them will only succeed in further total population declined from 50% at communities tended to settle, their real impoverishing their societies. The Middle the eve of the Crusades to 20-25% at status was clearly better and they East without the Christians is socially, the end of the 19th century, on the eve benefited from a relatively great culturally, economically a decapitated *Boutros Labaki is a professor of Developmental Economics at Saint Joseph University in Middle East. and Secretary-general of the Lebanese Institute for Economic and Social Development (ILDES). From 1991 to 2000, he was first vice-president of the Development and Reconstruction Council Richard Werly of Lebanon. At the Centre Lebret-Irfed, he occupies the position of Vice-president for the [email protected] Middle-East and the Arab world. Contact: [email protected]

autonomy. The European colonial -The Oriental Orthodox churches movement. In all these struggles, the expansion of the 19th and 20th centuries, [monophysites 1): they include mainly Christian elite played a primary role, the wars which characterized it and the the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox who are whether it be in Syria, Palestine, rise of nationalism led to the dismantling by far the biggest Christian community Lebanon or Egypt, throughout the 20th of the multinational Ottoman Empire, to in the Middle East with nearly 7 million century. Christians co-founded the Wafd the exodus of the Anatolian Greeks believers. The other communities are: Party in Egypt (Makram Ebeid and towards European Greece and towards the Syriac Orthodox in Turkey, Syria, Salama Moussa), the Arab Socialist other continents, and to the massacre of Iraq, Lebanon and Iran, and the Renaissance Party (the Syrian Michel the Armenians and their exodus out of Armenian Orthodox in Turkey, Iran, Aflak of the Baath Party), the Movement their land. The same happened to the Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. of Arab Nationalists (the Palestinian Assyrians. This dealt a big blow to - The Church of the East (Assyrian): George Habache), the Syrian Nationalist Christianity in the Middle East, still has followers in Iraq, Syria and party (the Lebanese Antoun Saadé) as eliminating almost all Christian presence Lebanon, but has practically well as different Communist movements in Anatolia (present Asian Turkey). disappeared in Turkey. (Fouad Chemaly and Youssef Yazbeck - The different Churches born of the in Lebanon, Antoun Maroun in Egypt, Islam against the West Reformation are present here and there Fahd in Iraq). in all countries of the region. Thirty years later, the Western-Israeli - Finally the Greek Orthodox Church Christian peasants were at the forefront reaction to the Arab movement for (Chalcedonian) has followers in Syria, of movements that revolted against the political and economic independence Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. notables and against abuses of the became manifest in several conflicts: Ottoman tax officials in Lebanon and the Suez war of 1956, the Israeli wars These Christian communities, situated Syria. Many Christians founded and led of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1982 and 2006 both in the rural areas and in the cities, Palestinian armed resistance movements against surrounding Arab countries, the have historically played an important against Israeli expansion (Georges invasion of Iraq in 2003. This resulted role, in the cultural and economic Habash and the Popular Front for the in an anti-West counter-reaction, spheres. During the first centuries of Liberation of Palestine – PFLP, Nayef animated by a backward, and intolerant Islam, the Syriacs transmitted the Hawatmeh of the Democratic Front for Islamist ideology (the Jihadist elements of Greek culture to the Arab the Liberation of Palestine – DFLP, Salafism), incarnated by the nebulous Umayyad and Abbasid empires, in Kamal Nasser and others in the Fatah...). Al-Qaeda, which admitted having Damascus and Baghdad respectively. instigated attacks against the churches The Christian elite played an important Elites in the service of their in Iraq since several years and in Egypt role in administration, the intellectual countries of origin since some months now. life, medicine and other sciences in these empires. These intellectual and political Christian What to think of all that? How Colonization Likewise, and as early as the elites adopted liberal, nationalist, to interpret these barbarian dealt a big blow 17th and 18th centuries, the socialist and secular ideologies coming acts? The Christian to Christianity in expansion of European from Europe, partly because these communities in the Middle religious orders in the East on modern ideologies allowed them to get the Middle East 2 East count less than 15 the wake of the Catholic out of their inferior status of dhimmi million inhabitants, that is 5% Counter-reformation could be and to contribute to the construction of of the total population in the seen through the founding of an egalitarian society based on region. And yet, in certain countries many schools. citizenship, where belonging to the Christians are more present: in Egypt nation is more important than any other they represent 7 million persons, that is The Eastern Christian communities form of membership. 10% of the population; in Lebanon they experienced an important cultural are 1.8 million, that is 45% of the resident renaissance, established their schools, On the economic level, the Christian population; in Syria, 2 million inhabitants their printing presses and modernized the elites played a great role in all modern are Christians, that is 10% of the resident Arab language. This renaissance was sectors of the economy, advantaged by population; in Iraq there are less than 1 also favored by the expansion of their level of education due to the million Christians left, that is 3 to 4% of Churches born of the Reformation, number of schools built by Western the resident population. Finally, in coming from Great Britain and the United religious orders and their Arab historical Palestine (the territory under States. Printing presses, publishing counterparts, and from there on, by Israeli control, the and Gaza houses, magazines, books, dictionaries their easier contacts with Western Strip), only less than 200,000 Christians flourished. enterprises expanding in the region. are left over 4 million inhabitants. Christians constituted an important In the 19th and 20th centuries, Communities heavy with history base of the Arab cultural renaissance Christians played an innovative role in (the Nahda ) at the end of the 19th agriculture in full modernization, in the These Christians belong to all branches century. This was accompanied by a emerging manufacturing industry, in of Christianity. political renaissance: the birth of Arab foreign and domestic trade, in the - The Catholic Church: Maronites, nationalism, of diverse forms of banking sectors, insurance, transport, especially in Lebanon; Chaldeans, mainly patriotism (Egyptian, Lebanese, tourism… Also, they had a significant in Irak; Syriac Catholics in Iraq, Syria, Palestinian, Syrian), of emancipation role in the trade union movements of Lebanon and Turkey; Greek Catholics in movements during time of the Ottoman Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Empire before 1918, of the struggle Iraq. Finally, stood out in But also Armenian Catholics, Coptic against British and French domination the fields of Arabic literature, music, Catholics of Egypt and finally the Latins between the two World Wars, and song, dance, performing arts, publishing (Roman Catholic) especially in Palestine finally the struggle against the and the Arab press, where they and in Jordan. colonization of Palestine by the Zionist established the first great titles in 2

Egypt, in Lebanon, in Syria and in Palestine. They are actually playing a Commentary remarkable role in the audiovisual field, The fake friends of Eastern Christians especially in Lebanon and the Gulf countries. This favorable period continued with he Baghdad tragedy, then that of fundamentalists, multiplying, dollars in the independence of Arab countries T Alexandria, had to happen for the hand, Muslim conversions. from the 1940s to the end of the audiovisual media, long after the 1950s, with the rise of Arab written press, to get a large audience Finally, the others, Arab regimes and nationalism aiming at the political and interested in the Middle-East Israeli government, kowtow before the economic independence of the Arabs. Christians. They would have at least Pope but care nothing about religious contributed then from their side to freedom in their country or in the Islamism, between repression and winning a bit over the ignorance of occupied territories. Lucidity demands: instrumentalization millions of Westerners who continue to Christians of the Arab world are confuse Arabs with Muslims. Still, the surrounded by fake friends from whom Islamist movements considered as legitimate emotion thus created is not they should expect nothing. Far from retrograde were repressed by existing enough. It could even, through going through a corporatist defense, regimes in Egypt, Syria and Iraq. inappropriate words used to express it their sole future in the Middle East , like These movements were covertly such as persecution or martyr, focus that of Muslims or non-believers, is assisted by Western countries and attention on simply naming a linked to the acquisition of true their Arab allies (especially Saudi scapegoat. citizenship in which first place is given Arabia and Jordan), in the context of to equality of rights and the exercise of the Cold War. The Arab defeat (of the More than shared emotions, our fundamental liberties. front led by Egypt, Syria and Jordan) reflection must focus on a multi-faceted by , was a decisive blow to Arab phenomenon: historical of course, but An observatory of pluralism political and economic independence. also geopolitical and cultural. Boutros It favored the rise of Islamist Labaki's article is interesting in that it With this perspective, a “Network for movements, which were inspired by a leads us there. It is also the fervent cultural and religious pluralism” saw rigid, backward-looking conception of obligation for each of us, in our the day after the solidarity actions with Islam as its political credo. These different structures, to bring together the Christians of Iraq in spring of 2009. movements were favored by the the necessary analyses and make Launched at the initiative of Pax Christi, Western countries (principally the U.S. them known to as many as possible. “L'Oeuvre d'Orient”, the “Institut and Great Britain), certain conservative This is the only way that we can Catholique de la Méditerranée” and the Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, Jordan combat abusive and dangerous “Chrétiens de la Méditerranée” network, and other Gulf countries) and the simplifications inherited from the Iraqi with the support of various personalities regime of Anouar el-Sadat in Egypt, war of “Good against evil” and the of different religions and of opinions, this after 1970. clash of civilizations. network has just officially created an “Observatory of cultural and religious These Western policies aimed at For a true citizenship pluralism”, to be operational in the weakening nationalist and left-leaning coming months. To the long citizens’ Arab political regimes and movements Many of those who want to obstruct the combat which is opening to our brothers allied to the USSR. In Egypt and exile of Christians from the Arab world in the Middle-East, it is time to bring our especially in Syria, the extreme poverty do so in the name of Western security, own citizens’ support. of the people and their political despair still keeping them imprisoned even after the 1967 defeat also favored more in their image of “sons of these movements. The invasion of crusaders” to which they’re stuck. Jean-Claude Petit Others, with their number increasing, Afghanistan by the Soviet troops in Former director of the weekly magazine 1979 pushed the U.S., Saudi Arabia have made themselves knights in a “La Vie”, President of the network “Chrétiens de and Pakistan to arm, finance and Christianity of conquest, calling for a la Méditerranée” support armed Islamist movements to new Crusade or, like the Christian Contact : www.chretiensdelamediterranee. com fight the Soviets. It was in its wake that Osama Bin Laden was recruited and installation in the Gulf and the Arabian George W. Bush, this situation facilitated supported. We know the consequences peninsula, as well as the weakening of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, under the that have ensued from that. left-leaning nationalist regimes after pretext of weapons of mass destruction 1967, resulted in these Islamist that, furthermore, proved nonexistent. This invasion had been preceded by movements changing enemies. the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978 The Palestinian and Iraqi Focal and 1979, which at the start, was The Soviet enemy and its local allies were replaced with the new American Points welcomed by the West (Neufle-le- Château, in France, was the refuge occupant and its local and Western The Salafist Jihadist movements forming and base of Khomeini who was allies, despite the assistance all these the Al-Qaeda network increased in size expelled by the Baathist and secular offered, first to the Mujahidin, then to the and proclaimed the holy war against Iraq.) In Palestine, the Israeli favored Talibans in Afghanistan during the “non-believer” regimes in Muslim the Islamist Hamas movement to better 1990s. The attacks against American countries and the “unfaithful”. fight against the Fatah and the secular targets in East Africa, the U.S. bombing resistance movements. of Taliban bases in Afghanistan and the Two focal points were particularly September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in targeted: Palestine and Iraq. In The end of the Cold War in 1990, the New York illustrate this reversal. For the Palestine, the Hamas and Islamic Kuwait war and the U.S. military neo-conservative administration of Jihad developed and succeeded in

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gaining the elections, considering the excluded from certain professions, cradle as much of Christianity as of corruption of the Palestinian Authority. deprived access to high positions in the Islam and which has known long The Christian Arabs of Palestine, police, the army and public periods of cohabitation among caught between the hammer of Israeli administration, unable to freely followers of these religions, is torn by occupation since 1967 and the anvil of construct or repair their churches, political and social conflicts. Islamist movements, tended to take the under- or badly represented in the road to exile, reducing to a strict parliament and in the government. The This internal strife, the cause of all minimum the Christian presence on the terrorist attacks against churches have the suffering land where Jesus Christ was born and only succeeded in exasperating this lived. Christian community which is already The Arab-Israeli conflict is due to the suffering sufficiently otherwise. This fact that the Palestinian people have In Iraq, the Christians who were not explains the reactions among Copts. 3 been uprooted from their ancestral land persecuted by Saddam Hussein's There are some suspicions of Israeli since 1948 and that Israel has been regime are the target of terrorist attacks involvement in these operations, as in continuing this process since 1967, claimed by the nebulous Al-Qaeda Iraq... despite the UN resolutions which this organizations and are subjected to state completely ignores. The conflicts massacres and abuse. Many take the Faced with this, large enlightened around the oil and gas resources of the route to exile. We must also point out sectors of Egyptian society have shown Arab and Iranian East has resulted in the impressive number of mosques and their solidarity with the victims: religious the control of the region by Western religious processions of Muslims, and civil officials, intellectuals, military bases and by the invasion of Shi'ites and Sunnis, and academes, artists, one of the richest countries in oil churches that are subjected journalists, writers and resources, Iraq, in 2003, under the All branches of to terrorist attacks and ordinary persons. pretext of finding there nonexistent massacres in Iraq. Christianity are weapons of mass destruction. represented in On Christmas Eve 2010, Reliable sources indicate thousands of Muslim The extreme poverty among Arab that some of these terrorist the Middle East Egyptians surrounded populations and the corruption of movements may be Coptic churches as they several existing regimes lead to social infiltrated by Arab and especially Israeli celebrated religious offices, and have and political tensions which often divert secret services. This is not at all often participated in this, showing their toward interethnic tensions, at the surprising, with the “divide and rule” solidarity to their Christian brethren. A source of which is the grabbing of strategy practiced by Israel in the true solidarity, since they risked wealth by a minority while the majority Middle East, from Iraq to Sudan, becoming themselves victims of the live in growing poverty. through Lebanon, and which is terrorist attacks against these facilitated by retrograde social and churches. It is in this context that, in the Middle- mental structures in many Arab East, the cohabitation between societies. In other Arab countries, in Syria, in Christians and Muslims is now Lebanon, Jordan, a quasi-unanimous undergoing major difficulties which A great reprobation is being manifested disapproval of these attacks spring as could only be overcome by a just and in Iraq and in other parts of the Arab much from political and religious equitable resolution of these conflicts, East against these acts. But in Egypt, authorities as in civil society. It is the pulling out of foreign intervention, on a background of re-islamisation of necessary to underline here that in highlighting the wealth of this region to the society since 1970, radical and Syria, in Jordan and in Lebanon, benefit its population in general and the often violent Islamist movements are Christians from the different Churches most underprivileged sectors in flourishing. The Copts of Egypt are live free of discrimination, practice their particular, and finally by generalizing a among their favorite targets, as shown religion, their educational, cultural, culture which values diversity and by the attack against a Coptic church in economic, social and political activities citizenship. Alexandria on New Year's day, 2011. It like their Muslim compatriots belonging must be said that the Copts in Egypt to different communities. are particularly discriminated upon: This “Middle East” which has been the Boutros Labaki

1 Monophysism: the Christological position that Christ has only one nature, his humanity being absorbed by his Deity. (Source: Wikipedia) 2 A dhimmi is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. (Source: Wikipedia) 3 This article was written before the recent popular revolution in Egypt that overthrew the Egyptian government. Adli, the Minister of the Interior of Mubarak, accused to have organized the attack on the churches on Christmas Eve, is in jail and will be judged under this accusation.

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Développement et civilisations is the new title of Foi et développement published, since 1972, by ‘’Centre Lebret’’ (former name of ‘’Développement et Civilisa- tions - Lebret-Irfed’’. It also used to be the title of the publication published by IRFED from 1960 to 1973: Développement et civilisations. ‘’Développement et Civilisations - Lebret-Irfed’’ is an international network of development actors, undertaking research-action, training and reflection on develop- ment issues. The financing of its activities is assured through donations and subsidies received from persons as well as from public and private institutions. The Board of the Association is composed of: Yves Berthelot (President) – Jean-François Giovannini (Vice-president) – Boutros Labaki (Vp. Middle-East) – Rethi- nam Mathias (Vp. Asia) – Jorge Balbis (Vp. Latin America) – Yves Glorieux (administrator) – Isabelle Duquesne (director). Publication - director: Yves Berthelot, editor: Richard Werly. Editorial Board: Yves Berthelot, Vincent Berthet, Karine Besses, Pierre-Henri Chalvidan, Roland Colin, Bernadette Denys, Jacqueline Heinrich, Lucien Heitz, Darwis Khudori, Serge Lafitte, Emile Poulat, Christian Rudel, Pierre Vilain, Hassan Zaoual – secre- tariat: Sally Rousset, Morgane Retière . [email protected]

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