Page "Eastern Christianity" Paragraph 76

The basic trend among Eastern Christians in the 20th-century was immigration from the near east to the West.

One thousand years ago Christians were the majority population in today's Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt.

In 1914 they numbered 25 % of the population in the Ottoman Empire.

Christians in the beginning of the 21st century constitute a mere 6 – 7 percent of this region ’ s inhabitants: less than 1 % in Turkey, 3 % in Iraq.

12 % in Syria, 39 % in Lebanon, 6 % in Jordan, 2. 5 % in Israel / Palestine and 15 – 20 % in Egypt.

This massive movement was stimulated by physical insecurity, indiscriminate plunder, religious persecution, and political discrimination directed by Islam at Christian communities in the area which was once the Christian Orient, or the Byzantine Orthodox Middle East.