Iraqis attend the Palm Sunday procession in the burned-out main church of the Christian city of Qaraqosh after Iraqi forces retook it from Islamic State militants. PHOTO: SUHAIB SALEM/REUTERS
Maria Abi-Habib, Wall Street Journal: Christians, in an Epochal Shift, Are Leaving the Middle East
Fueled by strife, civil war and the rise of extremist groups, the exodus deepens the dominance of Islam
TANTA, Egypt—Like the Jews before them, Christians are fleeing the Middle East, emptying what was once one of the world’s most-diverse regions of its ancient religions.
They’re being driven away not only by Islamic State, but by governments the U.S. counts as allies in the fight against extremism.
When suicide bomb attacks ripped through two separate Palm Sunday services in Egypt last month, parishioners responded with rage at Islamic State, which claimed the blasts, and at Egyptian state security.
Government forces assigned to the Mar Girgis church in Tanta, north of Cairo, neglected to fix a faulty metal detector at the entrance after church guards found a bomb on the grounds just a week before. The double bombing killed at least 45 people, and came despite promises from the Egyptian government to protect its Christian minority.
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WNU Editor: The overwhelming persecution and discrimination of Christians by Muslims in the Middle East .... coupled with Western politicians and governments being largely silent .... is in my opinion one of the most under-reported stories of the past few years. Kudos to the Wall Street Journal for at least giving a glimpse on what is happening.
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