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This edited volume examines the importance and significance of the Christian population in the Middle East and North Africa from the rise of Islam to present day. Specifically, the authors focus on the contributions of Christians to Arab politics, economy, and law. Using the current plight of Christians in the Muslim world (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt), the contributors analyze the origins of the crises and propose recommendations and strategies to foster religious freedom, human rights, and an inclusive political system that ensures equality of citizenship for all communities to participate fully in their societies.

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Preface by Kail C. Ellis

Chapter 1- Introduction by Kail C. Ellis

Part I: Christian Cultural and Intellectual Life and Shared History in the Islamic Middle East
Chapter 2- Christianity´s Historic Roots in the Middle East: Christians at Home in the "World of Islam" by Sidney Griffith
Chapter 3- Christianity in the Wider Levant Region: Modern History and Contemporary Contexts by Anthony O´Mahony
Chapter 4- Christian Contributions to Art, Culture and Literature in the Arab-Islamic World by Bernard Sabella
Chapter 5- Christians in Arab Politics by Tarek Mitri
Chapter 6- Christian Contributions to Education and Social Advancement by Sami El-Yousef

Part II: Human Rights, Combating Persecution, and the Responsibility to Protect

Chapter 7- The Arab-Christian Predicament Before and After the Rise of the Islamic State by Elie Chalala
Chapter 8- A Human Rights Perspective on the Protection of Christians and Other Minorities in the Middle East and North Africa by Fateh Azzam
Chapter 9- The Persecution of Minorities in the Middle East by Alon Ben-Meir
Chapter 10- The "Responsibility to Protect" and the Dangers of Military Intervention in Fragile States by General Anthony Zinni (ret.)
Part III: The Arab Uprisings, the Shia/Sunni Divide, and the Impact on Regional and Geopolitical Tensions

Chapter 11- The Answer to the Vulnerability of Arab Christians and Other Minorities Is Citizenship Rights Under the Rule of Law by Rami Khouri
Chapter 12- The Impact of the Shia-Sunni Political Struggle and Future Strategies for Christians and Other Minorities in the Middle East by Brian Katulis
Chapter 13- Epilogue by Kail C. Ellis

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"This book presents a provocative set of essays ruminating on Middle Eastern Christian heritage, the place of Christians in Middle Eastern politics, and some of the efforts led by the international community to promote their interests. Ellis should be congratulated for putting together a helpful contribution to the growing discussion of Christian survival in the region." (Dr. Paul S. Rowe, Middle East Journal, Vol. 72 (3), 2018)

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Kail C. Ellis is Associate Professor of Political Science and Assistant to the President of Villanova University, USA.

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