Arab Christians
Christian Arab women in Bethlehem c. 1900 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Syria | 520,000[1]–703,000[2][b][c][d] (excluding 25,000[2]–52,000 Maronites) |
| Lebanon | 350,000[1][b][c] (excluding 1 million Maronites) |
| Jordan | 221,000[3][b] (also 1,000 Maronites) |
| Israel | 134,130[4][b] (including 1,000 Copts and excluding 7,000 Maronites) |
| Palestine | 38,000 (excluding East Jerusalem)[5]–50,000[6] |
| Iraq | 10,000[1][b] |
| Egypt | 10,000[7]–350,000[1][a] (not including 9-15 million Copts and 5,000 Maronites[8]) |
| Turkey | 18,000[9] |
| Morocco | 8,000[10]–40,000.[11] |
| Kuwait | 250[12]-400 |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, Hebrew (within Israel), French (within Lebanon and diaspora), English, Spanish and Portuguese (diaspora) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity: Catholic (Eastern, Latin) Greek Orthodox (Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria) Protestantism | |
[a].^ excluding Copts [b].^ excluding Assyrians [c].^ excluding Maronites [d].^ prior to Syrian civil war | |
Arab Christians are people who practice Christianity and speak Arabic or are from an Arabic-speaking country.
Region
Most Christian Arabs live in the Middle East, where Islam is the most popular religion. The largest number of Arab Christians - around 9,500,000 - live in Egypt.[13]
Many Arabs have emigrated from the Middle East in modern times. In some places like the Americas, a large number of these Arabs are Christians. In Brazil, there are more than 11.6 million Arabs[14]; most of them are Christians.[15]
History
Origins
Arab Christians existed before Arab Muslims. Several Arab tribes became Christians starting in the first century. (The Prophet Muhammad created Islam during the 7th century.)
The Arab tribes who converted were the Nabateans (whose ancestors were Aramean) and the Ghassanids (who were of Qahtani origin and spoke both Yemeni-Arabic and Greek). They protected the southeastern parts of the Byzantine Empire in north Arabia.
Persecution
During various periods in the history of the Islamic world, Arab Christians experienced brutal, humiliating persecution. This increased with the Muslim conquests of Christian countries after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.
Often, Arab Christians were forced to convert to Islam if they could not pay an expensive tax known as the 'jizya'. Despite this, many Christians chose not to change their religion to Islam.
Muslims call Christians and Jews the "People of the Book".
Persecution today
In the early 21st century, persecution of Christians in Arab countries increased. In most countries they are required to obey Islamic "Shari'ah" law. In some countries, notably Egypt, political approval is required for the construction or renovation of a church. This is not required for the construction of mosques.
Countries in the Arabian Gulf, most notably Saudi Arabia, do not allow people to build churches or practice Christianity in public. However, that is slowly changing in progressive areas like the UAE.
Coptic Christians in Egypt continue to face significant discrimination in the workplace and have a hard time reaching the upper echelons in universities, corporations, and government offices.
Contributions
Arab Christians have made important contributions to the Arab world, and they still do. Some of the best poets in past centuries were Arab Christians. Many Arab Christians were and are doctors, writers, government workers, and literature experts.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Christians of the Middle East - Country by Country Facts and Figures on Christians of the Middle East". Middleeast.about.com. 2009-05-09. Archived from the original on 2012-11-18. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Overview of religious history of Syria". ewtn.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ↑ Kildani, Hanna (8 July 2015). "الأب د. حنا كلداني: نسبة الأردنيين المسيحيين المقيمين 3.68%" (in Arabic). Abouna.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "CBS data on Christian population in Israel (2016)" (in Hebrew). Cbs.gov.il.
- ↑ "The Beleaguered Christians of the Palestinian-Controlled Areas, by David Raab". Jcpa.org. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
- ↑ Chehata, Hanan. "The plight and flight of Palestinian Christians" (PDF). Middle East Monitor. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ "Who are Egypt's Christians?". BBC News. 26 February 2000.
- ↑ Fr. Antonio. "Statistics". Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ↑ Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. "Christen in der islamischen Welt". Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ "Christian Converts in Morocco Fear Fatwa Calling for Their Execution". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ↑ "'House-Churches' and Silent Masses —The Converted Christians of Morocco Are Praying in Secret". Vice. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ↑ "Father Emmanuel and the Christians of Kuwait". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ↑ Viney, Steven (2017-04-10). "Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians and why are they persecuted?". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ↑ "Arabs, descendants are 6% of Brazil's population: survey - ANBA News Agency". 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ↑ Pinto, Paulo (2015-07-28). "The Religious Dynamics Of Syrian-Lebanese And Palestinian Communities In Brazil". Mashriq & Mahjar: Journal of Middle East and North African Migration Studies. 3 (1): 47–65.