It is great to have this covered on the situation with the Christians in the Middle East but not all of them are Arabs. The article focuses on the Holy Lands but it would be great for the article to cover on all of the Middle East in concern with the Christians. There are Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people, who are predominantly Christian, as well as the first converts, and have lived in Mesopotamia since the ancient times and up to this day. These people are Semitic but not Arabs. They had suffered terribly in the modern times with genocide, massacres, and even persecutions happening in Iraq right now. It is a shame that not many people know of their existence. They have only heard of Assyria and they only think of it as an ancient empire. They are an unknown people today. They too are going through a diaspora where more of them are living outside of their homeland in Iraq.
I hope there will be an article, news, and show that will cover on the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people. I praise the fact that you, Nat Geo, are opening up to the world on this article but I wished you tell much much more about it.

....'the human bridge between the Islamic world and the Christian West'.A beautiful heart touching report.

I appreciate NatGeo's willingness to highlight those unheard of faithful who are stuggling in the "no man's" land between Israel, the West and the Arab world. I too was ignorant as a western believer until I read a book called Light Force by Brother Andrew and this article served as a reminder of what I read in that book. I'm ashamed of the Zionist ignorance that I once held and many of my fellow western comfortables still hold. Prayerfully articles like these will serve to educate us...again Thank You!

Yet another article that blames Israel for Muslim oppression of Christians. The article fails to point out the severe persecution of Christians in the PA and Gaza, growing fundamentalism, intimidation of the Christian media, forced conversions and Christians being frozen out of the Palestinian national dialogue. Surely these cannot all be the fault of Israel!
The Arab Christian article also resorts to ad hominem attacks on Israel such as Lisa’s quote where her pure “hatred” of Israel is revealed. Nothing similar was levied against the Muslims who, by all empirical data, are far more brutal to the Christians.
As always, the blame comes to rest on Israel’s security barrier. The real cause of Christian flight is the persecution of Christians by Muslims. For a detailed analysis of the situation I suggest that one reads articles by Justus Reid Weiner, which can be found at the Institute for Global Jewish Affairs – www.jcpa.org

I am so happy to read this article here about us- Arab Christians who live in the holy lands. I want to remind the readers that we are Arab Christians who suffered for hundreds of years from several invaders but we still have our identity and faith in God Jesus. I still remember the stories my grandparent were telling me about their bad lives.

Now, we are here a minority within a minority and anybody can imagine what this means! Still we are educated and work so hard. Many of us leave the country since we are too educated to stay in a place where our chances to get higher salaries or good positions are so low!
We work double time to get the same like others… we don't get scholarships for universities or colleges… still we work day and night to pay for our studies and to live a decent life without anybody's help.
I believe all Christians suffer in the Middle East! In Bethlehem, in Egypt, Iraq and other countries…Maybe for now we are the least! Hope you be one of the people to help Christians have a better life in the Middle East. Sometimes a short pray can help.

From the Upper Galilee
Khuloud.

The link above takes you to a series of images from Syria. Thank you for the work you have done in bringing to light this often forgotten group.

I read with incredulity the biased article on Arab Christians. In Palestinian controlled areas, Jews cannot visit their places of worship, however holy, nor can Christians do so today without risk. Thus, only for the sake of security, does the much besieged Israeli government place restrictions on travel. The restrictions are not due to skin color or religion. In fact, the Israeli government handed over total control to the Islamic Waqf of the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem. Has the Palestinian government ever handed over total control of Christian and Jewish holy places to Christians or Jews? No, they have pillaged and destroyed some of those places, sometimes built mosques over them. Mr. Belt all but ignores the killing of Christians in Gaza by Hamas and the ongoing plight of Egyptian Christians. All in all one of the most biased pieces of writing I have ever seen in a mainstream publication.

Come on National Geographic. This article is totally biased. Why not talk about the religious in-tolerance in Saudi Arabia. Why not talk about the Arab Christians being beheaded by Hamas in Gaza. Articles like these attempt to stir up anti-Israel sentiment among western Christians. Get it right. There has never in history been a Palestinian Country, Language, Currency or People. In the land there is Arabs, Egyptians,
Lebanese, and Jews. Before 1948 the Muslims were never interested in the Holy Land. But because the Quran explicitly states that the Muslims must kill every Jew they are now suddenly trying to lay claim. They do not want land, only blood. This is what is said in Mosques all over the Middle East.

This article on Arab Christians is misleading in several ways. First, it claims falsely that the early indigenous Levantine Christians, other than the Jewish converts, were “Arabs.” The Arabs lived on the borders of these Roman and Byzantine-controlled regions, and came in the 7th century as conquerors. Thus, today’s Arab Christians are the descendants of the pre-Arab populations that have survived the Muslim conquest and almost 14 centuries of Islamic persecution, humiliation, and marginalization (as required by sharia).

Second, the article neglects one of the main reasons why Christians are leaving the Arab world; namely, the Islamic revival and accompanying impulse to return non-Muslims to their inferior dhimmi status, as required by sharia and their religious sense of superiority. Arab Christians do not have equal rights. They are persecuted, discriminated against, and the victims of Muslim violence and intimidation (fanatical, whimsical, and reflexive). Palestinian Christians are also exploited by the Palestinian Muslims (and their church hierarchy) to get their Western coreligionists to support the Muslim world’s anti-Israeli policies.

Third, the article suggests that there was peaceful and tolerant coexistence between Muslims and non-Muslims “from the earliest days of Islam.” Christians and Jews, contrary to what the article states, were not permitted “to keep their churches and worship as they pleased.” You would do well to read the 7th century “Pact of Omar,” the template for Muslim supremacist oppression of non-Muslim monotheists (polytheists had it even worse). Indeed, one reason for the Crusades was al-Hakim’s destruction of tens of thousands of churches and synagogues in his domains, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Islamic doctrinal meanings of “tolerance,” “peace,” “coexistence,” and “justice” are not the same as those found in an English dictionary.

Fourth, many Christians and Jews converted to Islam because they were forced to do so, or sought escape from the persecutions, constant insecurity, and inferiority status of dhimmitude. (The article does mention “heavy taxes,” but these are merely a part of the oppressive system of dhimmitude.)

This article presents and perpetuates a politically correct worldview that has little basis in historical fact and is ignorant of Islamic doctrine and practice, which has been consistently applied in the lands conquered by its followers from Andalusia and the Balkans to Bengal and Central Asia to South India and Africa.

Your use of the term "Arab Christians" could present a misleading picture of
invading Muslims converting to Christianity. Why do we seem unwilling to recognize the Palestinian people as including the descendants of Jews whose ancestors converted to Christianity as well as Jews whose ancestors later also converted to Islam, youngest of the 3 faiths? Interestingly, many Jews who have become citizens of the modern state of Israel are descended from Khazars who converted to Judaism in the 9th century AD and whose ancestors, unlike those of many of their Palestinian neighbors, likely never lived in the holy land during biblical times.

Thank you National Geographic for writing this article and the one on Bethlehem. I would like to remind those that Hamas is terrible and a terrorist organization, but Israel did help create them as a way to offset the power of the PLO. I am not an advocate for Hamas by any means but it is ridiculous to compare their methods with Al-Quaeda methods. They do not behead Arab Christians did you hear any Arab Christians saying that they did, I think not. Do not put words into their mouths, are they discriminated against by Muslims, I'm sure, but Israel treats Arabs and Palestinians with the same and often more intense hostility.

Wow I am so impressed with your Arab Christian article! I was informed of this article on FB and I can say I am now going to read NG! The hatred that comes with war for a people group is based on ignorance. You have opened eyes and hopefully hearts to a people that need to be loved and not hated!

The numbers of Christians in Moslem controlled areas have plummeted because of persecution and wanton attacks on them. The numbers of Christians in Jewish controlled Israel have increased because of the respect Jews have for all religions. The attacks on Israel by Christians are transparently obvious for their hoped for purpose - the cessation of attacks against them by Moslems. Christians have no such concerns about Jews when they attack Israel. The numbers tell the story. It's not a matter of conjecture. The fact that National Geographic ignores the numbers in order to attack Israel is based on hostility to Israel, which is almost certainly based on good old fashioned anti-Semitism.

This is an egregiously-biased piece, the kind of shallow, anti-Israel rhetoric that passes for journalism these days. What's really scary is that the writer is a senior editor of this iconic and legendary publication, who seems to care little for the facts, and who clearly hasn't done his homework. I refer readers to http://tinyurl.com/o36gs7 for a far more penetrating analysis of the history of, and background behind, this story. Mr. Belt, if you wish to refer to families that are split, farmers who lose their olive groves because of a fence, a Gazan university that was bombed by Israel, then at least subscribe to the basic journalistic tenet of providing your readers with the context of the conflict in which the Arab Christians find themselves, rather than using the magazine to express your personal political biases. National Geographic is not a venue for superficial, sound-bite sized reportage such as this. Its readers have the insight – and attention-spans – to reach beyond the selective use of personal examples to “prove” the points you are trying to make. They deserve better than this over-simplified, half-baked version of a complex story that has received far too little attention from the mainstream media. Sadly, this article does little to enlighten readers – or go beyond reinforcing age-old canards – as to where the blame really lies for the Arab Christians’ current predicament.

Many thanks to NG for the Arab Christians story. Christians who live in the Holy Land are Palestinians. Christians and Muslims suffer together under Israel's occupation. It's amazing how many Americans are unaware of that fact.

Thanks to National Geographic for this excellent article on Arab Christians.
As someone who has been carrying out research on the Bethlehem economy for over ten years, I can attest to the fact that Israeli policies are destroying the Bethlehem economy, a major factor contributing to the further reduction in the number of Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem.

When I unwrapped my NG magazine at the mailbox and saw the cover I had to look twice: That place seemed familiar to me - hadn't I been there?

I spent a few days in Mar Mussa Monastery near Nabk, Syria together with my Muslim, Christian and non-believing foreign and Syrian friends a few years ago. It was amazing, even if the religious service was a little too much (read: long) for me.

Indeed, I even remember the person on the cover (the left most person on the cover is the priest who rebuilt the monastery from rubble after it had been abandoned a few hundred years ago). I can attest to the monastery doing good work on interfaith relations, people of all denominations and faiths go there to meet and talk about religion.

Thank you National Geographic for a great article. I am looking forward to more reporting like this (and sorry you "bias" screaming people, if anyone ISN'T biased it is NG, thank you).

the article is quite empressive and i hope that the christian world out there will know of our existance.
the only thing i wanna emphasise is the nice words the rightious hermit said about islam. i disagree with what he says and wanna let the world know that there is a definite hatred between christians and muslims in those lands. islam's target is to kill everyone who is not muslim and invade the world.
the hermit said those nice words only not to make chaos. if there is a slight tiny percent of muslims who are good to chritianity that does not mean islam is peacefull. again ass "matt" has mentioned: do not forget the poor chritians in gaza, the miserable brothers in Egypt and the chased families in northen Iraq.

"Soson kirie ton laon sou kai evlogison tin kilronomian sou. Amin"

I cannot attest to the validity of everything in this article, but it certainly presents a perspective not often considered by Christians in America. I am disheartened to see the posts about Muslims, Jews, and Christians having this conflict for thousands of years. For the most part, the three religions lived in peace because there was a mutual respect for one another. Something I feel we should all try to achieve

For the last years I have been in constant touch thru internet with arabs from all middle east, (also with jews from Israel, Yemen and Iran, for all those who may complain about my comments.

Among those arabs I met there were christians, mainly from Lebanon, but also from jordan and Egypt, and some exiled from Iraq living in US and Canada.

From my experience christian arabs are in regression in all midle east. From my muslim friends I got the point that for them all middle east has to be land of Islam, and they ignore the existance of arab christians as much as westerns do. The situation in Egypt is hard as they are pressured by the overwhelming "Muslim Brothers" spread over society, which makes the "moderate" egyptian govt. behave following exclusion ways from time to time, as they did when swine flu appeared, killing all the pigs in the country and ruining their farmers just following a popular demand, even without scientific bases to do so.

In Lebanon I have met christians on both sides of the wall. Most of those I met are more close to Hizbullah than against them.

In Gaza I met a palestinian girl who hates Israel with all her soul. She is not a lover of Hamas, but she sees Israel as the one who came and took their land from them, and Hamas as the only ones facing the invader. She is not thinking about religion but about politics, as those in Lebanon do.

We should be aware that many of the reactions and positions we take here regarding arabs are due to the identification of them as muslims. Maybe some will feel repugnance to the idea of christians supporting Hamas or Hizbullah (I feel repugnance for these gangsters) but for them is the only way to fight and protect their dignity as arabs. The religious issue comes later.

Israelis took this view soon. They treat muslim and christian arabs the same way. And we know which way is.

Let me remember the times of muslim domination in Spain, where there was a community of christians surviving among muslims, we call them "mossarabs". They lived opressed, under heavy taxes and unable to even fight in the army. When fanatical waves from Islam pushed them up north to exile on the lands of "old christians" they were rejected for their arab costumes, language and traditions. It makes me think about how us... "old christians" from nowadays, look at these "mossarabs" of today.

The main reason Christians are leaving the area is because of their Islamic neighbors. Just check out stories like yesterday's "Eight Christians Slain in Pakistan Riots" story. You never see headlines about these atrocities; but check out the photos at
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090802/ids_photos_wl/r3099346871.jpg/#photoViewer=/090802/ids_photos_wl/r3099346871.jpg
....

Great article. You know its made a difference when its stirs up hysterical Zionist whining and idiocy.
Sorry but the world is waking up the the crimes and genocidal violence of Apartheid Israel. The article does a great job of pointing out that colonial hell of Apartheid Israel has been and is the current cause of the diaspora of Arab Christians. As long as Apartheid Israel remains a racist neo-colonial project there will be no peace. To read more check out Jonathan Cooks "Disappearing Palestine"
http://www.jkcook.net/

I read with interest Don Belt latest article in the November 2009 issue about Reinventing Syria. Although he tried to be impartial and non political he failed in conveying to the reader the external roadblocks facing the type of reform needed in that country specifically the European Union and U.S. approach to that regime vis a vis the sanctions and the embargo imposed on Syria and how much more difficult those sanctions make it for the average Syrian to live their day to day life. I visited Syria this summer with my children and I can tell you the people genuinely love their leader for what he is trying to accomplish for that country.I spoke to classmates of mine and family members in all walks of life who have no reason not be honest with me. The president of Syria and his progressive, forward thinking wife are trying their best to improve the lives of citizens and the conditions in Syria despite all the roadblocks outlined in the report plus the one I mentioned above.