The plight of Middle East Christians took me back to Lebanon

Terry Waite – 11/12/12

Last week I returned to Lebanon, a quarter of a century after being kidnapped and held captive for almost five years, most of the time chained to a wall and denied many basic comforts. You might think such a trip foolhardy, but the crisis developing there desperately needs attention.

I had been invited to go back to see for myself the plight of the many Christian refugees who are flooding across the Syrian/Lebanese border, and travelled to the Bekaa Valley to visit the refugees who have been forced into exile from Syria. The situation there is tragic. Syria has a unique and rich history of religious diversity and tolerance, and in the past Christians and Muslims have shared the same place of worship. Since the beginning of Islam, they have lived in relative harmony – but the war is pushing Christians out, and many believe there will be no way back.

Worthy as the proponents of political change may be, there are now elements of the Arab spring that have been hijacked by Islamic extremists who want to impose sharia law and banish Syrian Christians, who make up about 10% of the population. This has created a very hostile environment for minorities. I met refugee families living in dire circumstances in Lebanese border towns, and heard first hand their harrowing stories.

In the early 20th century, Christians made up to 20% of the population in the Middle East; that figure has now dwindled to around 5%. Before the Arab spring Christians in Syria were businesspeople, engineers, lawyers and pharmacists. While Assad brutally restricted political freedoms, the regime did allow the Syrian people religious freedom – more so than elsewhere in the Middle East. Now Christians are leaving the country. The occupied territories of Palestine are also rapidly losing their Christian communities. Egypt is in turmoil with a series of anti-Coptic Christian riots; Libya is a disaster. In Iraq 300,000 Christians have fled persecution since the downfall of Saddam Hussein. An estimated 100,000 Christians have left Syria, many to border towns like al-Qaa. Lebanon is the last country in the Middle East where Christians can live in relative peace and security.

Al-Qaa is a dusty, somewhat ramshackle town which has been the scene of numerous border clashes across the years. It is here that many of the Christian families who have escaped from the terrors of warfare in Syria find a temporary home. More than 200 families are housed in and around al-Qaa, mainly being taken into the homes of other Christian families or renting properties. The people I met were not well off. Families I visited told similar stories. The conflict had become so severe that they had been forced to leave their homes. In one place, there were 15 people living in four small rooms. “The Arab spring is a joke,” said one of the refugees. “It has become another form of persecution.”

Leaving al-Qaa, I travelled to Zahle, another border town, to talk with theMelkite archbishop, John Darwish. A mild-mannered and gentle man, he is gravely concerned about the breakdown in relationships in Syria and the number of refugees flocking into Lebanon. He told me of a remarkable agreement that took place in 2006 between Hezbollah, the group that abducted me, and the Free Patriotic Movement, a mainstream Christian political party, which counts many members from the Christian enclave of al-Qaa.

Cynics might regard this agreement as being nothing more than political expediency, and of course the politics of the situation does play heavily in the situation. However, it may well be that this agreement paves the way for the only solution possible for Lebanon, and indeed for the surrounding countries. Given the ethnic and religious mix in Lebanon, the only sensible solution is for the different communities to respect each other and live and work together for the good of the country.

Forgiveness is a central Christian teaching. With this in mind, I sought and obtained a meeting with a senior official from Hezbollah and spent two hours in discussion with him. Hezbollah has a negative image in the west, and there are those who will accuse me of consorting with terrorists. I would remind them that Hezbollah has grown into a fully fledged political party with seats in Lebanon’s parliament, and is now in a unique position to work for peace in the region. I made a special request for Hezbollah to give assistance to the Syrian and Iraqi Christian refugees in Lebanon, especially at Christmas time. This request was favourably received.

We met late at night, in an anonymous apartment block in south Beirut, probably less than a mile from where I was held all those years ago, although I will never be certain where my underground cell was located. It was initially difficult: why was I there? What did I want? But as we spoke over coffee and apple juice, things lightened as I explained that my little act of reconciliation with them could portend a hundred other, bigger acts of peace for this region and all its peoples.

Almost two hours passed and the atmosphere relaxed considerably. They invited me to return to Lebanon when I would be able to meet other people from Hezbollah, an invitation I said that I would be happy to accept. I left Lebanon early the next morning for London, having taken a few steps forward both personally and on behalf of others. Old grudges and conflicts need to be confined to the past and all groups within the country need to be encouraged and supported to move forward together.

From a Christian perspective, Lebanon is rapidly becoming the only remaining country in the whole of the Middle East where there is a significant Christian presence. It will take plenty of acts of reconciliation before Christians once again feel safe in their homeland.

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