Respectful diversity key to secure future for Christians in the Middle East

A year after the Arab Spring broke out across the Middle East, Christians in the region are still anxious for a future in which they will be secure, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

In a speech to the House of Lords, Dr Rowan Williams said Christians must have a “guaranteed place” in their historic homelands, including in political discourse.

Christians were not looking for special status, he said, but a commitment from emerging governments to civic equality and the rule of law.

“It is possible to argue, on the basis of Christian and Islamic thought alike, in favour of transparent government and a proper notion of civic equality.

“That is the sort of argument about good governance as such that needs to be pursued if Christian communities are going to be secure in the future.

“Not any sort of case for special treatment but a strong argument for justice, honesty and respectful diversity in the societies of the region.”

The Archbishop cast doubt on the ability of Christians to remain in some parts of the region if the Arab Spring leads to repression under new Islamic regimes.

“It is certainly not the case that we can assume that ‘extremists’ are poised to take over the region tomorrow, but we still need to take with utmost seriousness the anxieties that are felt by communities already feeling exposed and uncertain,” he said.

Dr Williams said he was praying that Egypt would follow the direction of Tunisia in balancing an Islamic government with a strong commitment to pluralism and political transparency.

“The Arab spring has meant dramatically different things in different countries and, as these last remarks underline, there are a number of different political possibilities for governance grounded in Islamic principles,” he said.

“But against such a background we may get a clearer sense of how and why the Christian presence matters, and why its future is surrounded by so many anxieties.

“No one is seeking a privileged position for Christians in the Middle East, nor should they be. But what we can say is that the continued presence of Christians in the region is essential to the political and social health of the countries of the Middle East.”