|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/for-mideast-christians-not-most-wonderful-time-of-year
The Only Country in the Middle East that Has a Growing Christian Community Is Israel
(National Post-Canada) Andrew Bennett - The Middle East is being cleansed of Christians after two millennia of faithful presence. The only country in the region that has a growing Christian community is Israel, where the Christian population grew by 1.4% in 2020 and where their religious freedom is guaranteed. In a December 2021 report by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, 84% of Christians surveyed indicated they were satisfied with life in Israel. In Syria in 2011, there were 1.7 million Christians. Today there are fewer than 450,000. In Aleppo alone, the Christian population has shrunk from 360,000 in 2012 to 25,000 today. In Iraq in 2003, there were 1.5 million Christians. Today there are under 120,000. In the past 100 years, the town of Bethlehem saw its Christian percentage fall from 84% to 28% in 2007. In the West Bank and Gaza, the Christian percentage has plummeted from 11% in 1922 to 1% in 2017.