The nativity of Jesus Christ marks the birth of Christianity. As we celebrate the story of Mary and Joseph’s arduous journey from Nazareth along the valley of the River Jordan, past Jerusalem to Bethlehem, we should take some time from our family parties and present-giving to recall that today’s Middle East, where this world-changing event occurred, was literally the cradle of Christianity.

It is hard to believe that at one time nearly the whole of the Middle East and much of North Africa were predominantly Christian. The Christian cities, such as Alexandria, Damascus, Constantinople and Carthage, were some of the greatest centres of civilisation in the world. Many of the Christian Church’s leading theologians came from monasteries in both East and West of this great region.

What changed the picture? In a word, Islam. The arrival of the newly Muslim arabs in the seventh century disrupted the flow of history in the Middle East and beyond. The Christian cities capitulated one by one. Some communities were destroyed in the conflict. Others were dispersed. For those that remained, a system of discrimination was established. They had to pay special taxes, wear distinctive dress and could not build churches. In due course, they were excluded from holding office.

From time to time, there were riots and massacres. These, as well as the process of attrition brought about by living under the dhimma (the system by which certain non-Muslims were allowed to live in the Islamic domains), progressively reduced the strength of the Christian communities.

At the feast of Christmas, we should spare a thought for the tens of thousands of displaced Christians fleeing persecution from Jihadist militants

In spite of these strictures, the Christians were able to maintain their relative strength, in some cases for centuries. In Egypt, the Coptic population did not fall below half until after the pogroms of the 14th century. Christians were able to make notable contributions to science, philosophy, government, architecture and the arts. But all the while their mentality and that of their rulers were shaped by the unequal relationship.

When, under intense Western pressure, the dhimma was relaxed in the 19th century, there were still significant Christian communities throughout the Ottoman Empire. The creation of the State of Israel in 1948, as well as the wars of 1967 and 1973, meant that the Jewish communities of the Middle East and North Africa migrated to Israel, leaving the Christians exposed as the only substantial minority in many of these countries.

Their new status as fellow citizens with their Muslim compatriots allowed these Christians to make a contribution out of all proportion to their numbers to the emergence of nationalist states, which were defined not so much by religion as by their shared language, culture and history. Even then, however, those communities that did not fit in with nationalist aspirations, such as the Armenians and the Greeks in Turkey, faced persecution, execution or exile.

All of this informs the current situation. It has been the rise of radical Islamism from the 1950s onwards which has defined the place and treatment of minorities in the region. The Islamists have been keen to continue the disadvantages suffered by these communities and they have pressed for the introduction of fresh restrictions.

The beheading of Copts by Daesh and the desecration of Christian cemeteries in Libya, the murder of clergy in Iraq and Syria, where Daesh seized Assyrian Christian villages on the Khabur river, the attacks on churches in Egypt and their forcible conversion into mosques there are all recent outrages which remind us what mobs and despots have done to these communities in the past.

Imagine having your house daubed with a cross to denote that you’re a Christian, knowing that your house was about to be targeted. This is what happened in Mosul, in Iraq. Today, a city which had up to 60,000 Christians a decade ago has none. They had to flee after being told by Daesh to convert or face the sword. It is estimated that thousands of Christians have since left Mosul and the surrounding villages to seek refuge in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq. For the first time in 1,600 years no Christian services have been celebrated there. Daesh have blown up churches and set them ablaze, or converted them to mosques.

The changes are not, however, just the actions of an angry mob. In Iran, separate electorates were introduced for non-Muslims so they could vote only for the small number of parliamentary seats allocated to them. This is a barely disguised attempt to revive the dhimma, albeit dressed in “democratic” clothes.

It is well known that the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, Kuwait, and elsewhere have had a chilling negative effect on freedom of speech. Non-Muslims have suffered disproportionately because of these laws. Even when “apostasy” is not a crime on the statute books, jurists will regularly try people for it under sharia law. Such a practice completely negates the basic freedoms of belief and expression guaranteed under the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights.

There is an urgent need for governments and the United Nations to promote Article 18 of the Human Rights Declaration, which guarantees freedom of belief and expression. This element of international law must predominate and all states should be expected to adhere to it.

Despite the hopes raised by the so-called Arab Spring that there would be greater tolerance of Christians in countries like Egypt, the optimism has mostly evaporated and matters have reverted to what they were before the uprising. Christians have many friends in Egypt, but also significant enemies.

The question must be asked. If the Kurds need protection in Iraq, the Muslims in the Balkans, or the indigenous communities in the Americas and Australia, why not Christians in the Middle East and beyond? Is the West again applying double standards?

Every opportunity must be taken by Western leaders to raise the issue of fundamental freedoms with their Middle East and North African counterparts. Such protection need not be military or undertaken through economic sanctions – though these options should not be ruled out – but can often be achieved through raising international awareness of the situation in which these communities find themselves.

It can be provided through the soft power of advocacy and campaigning, as well as diplomacy and negotiation. The oppressor needs to be deterred and the oppressed must be given confidence they will be protected. I wonder whether, given Malta’s role as a bridge to North Africa and the Middle East, the Christian community here, with its impressive array of intellectual talent, has an important international advocacy role it can play?

As we celebrate the arrival of Jesus and wish glad tidings and joy to the world, it is imperative to remember that Christians throughout the Middle East and North Africa are being persecuted. Some of the world’s most oppressed people need our support. At the feast of Christmas, we should spare a thought for the tens of thousands of displaced Christians fleeing persecution from Jihadist militants and the many ancient Christian communities, dating back to biblical times, which are in danger of disappearing forever.

May I wish all my readers a very happy and peaceful Christmas. I shall be spending mine in sunny Australia with our daughter and grandchildren, from where I hope to send regular despatches.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.