Attacks on Christian communities from Iraq to Egypt undermine the region's struggle for broader freedoms

In the Middle East, the Arab spring has given way to a Christian winter

Rupert Shortt

Middle Eastern Christian communities such as Egypt's Copts are suffering from religious discrimination. 

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The catastrophe faced by Iraq's Christians is more widely recognised in the west, partly because of the media spotlight on individual tragedies, such as the storming of Baghdad's Syrian Catholic cathedral two years ago. More than 50 people were killed, and scores of others maimed, when al-Qaida-linked militants hurled grenades into the building before shooting worshippers at random. In 1990 there were between 1.2 and 1.4 million Christians in the country. Today, it is estimated that fewer than 500,000 remain.

The current conflict in Syria has placed Christians in the eye of yet another storm. 

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