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We are the Modern Knights Templar, an Ecumenical Christian and Chivalric charitable Order. We do not claim a direct lineage to the original Knights of the Temple, but we do seek to emulate their positive attributes in our daily lives today. We have adopted two of the original Templar missions of Protecting Christians at Risk particularly in the Holy Land and the Middle East and in Keeping the Road to Jerusalem open to all people as our own.

Affiliated with the International Order (OSMTH)

2013 Archive

News (Archive-2013)

The conditions faced by the Christian population across the Middle East are important for caring Christians around the world to understand. Major media outlets too often provide us, however, with an incomplete (and sometimes inaccurate) account of events there and their causes. We present herewith a collection of well-written articles on the Christian situation to help broaden your understanding of this important subject. Articles reflect the authors’ research and opinions, not those of SMOTJ.

January 2013

The Future of Christians in the Middle East
January 7, 2011-DEFINING IDEAS
by Habib Malik (Contributor to the Working Group on Islamism and the International Order)

Did Christian leaders’ embrace of secular government in the past century sow the seeds of Christianity’s decline in the Middle East today? And is there hope for its survival there? An insightful analysis of these questions, by a Lebanese-American professor writing for Stanford University’s Hoover Institution follows:

March 2013

Arab Spring Giving Way to Christian Winter
By Rupert Shortt
guardian.co.uk
2 January 2013

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East is long-standing and widespread, a reality that is typically ignored by global media and the cultures they serve. This article from Britain’s Guardian newspaper examines how the “Arab Spring” is exacerbating Christianity’s plight in the Middle East and why we are so poorly informed about it. Read the article

April 2013

Middle East Christians Need Our Protection
By Kirsten Powers
USA Today
2 April 2013

USA Today looks at the global persecution of Christianity, especially in the Middle East. Described by France’s former President as ethnic cleansing, the article also observes the media’s blind eye to the problem, as well as the inexplicable passivity of American Christians. Read the article

May 2013

Signs of Hope? Religious Tides in the Middle East
Editorial by Peter J. Leithart
First Things A Publication of The Institute on Religion and Public Life
1 March, 2013

Evidence of a large and growing body of underground Christians in the heartland of Islam? An interesting question that is explored here by a nonpartisan, non-profit research organization. Read the article

June 2013

Elderly Christians’ Safe Haven Near Syria’s Front Lines
The Daily Star-Lebanon
ALEPPO, Syria
5 January, 2013(AFP)

A story from the front lines in Syria of local Christians’ care for the aged in the midst of the battle for Aleppo. Read the article

July 2013

Christians in the Middle East - Ever More Fearful
The Economist
19 March 2013
ALEPPO, BEIRUT AND ERBIL

The Christian population struggles to find a safe place in the aftermath of America’s departure from Iraq and the more recent overthrow of other local autocrats in the “Arab Spring.” This article from The Economist (predating the latest coup in Egypt) reminds us of the perils facing Christians there, where the old protections of autocrats and inter-faith tolerance are being stripped away. Read the article

September 2013

Syrian and American Christians-A Horror that Binds
Economist
June 28, 2013 By Erasmus

American Christians’ apathy toward the plight of their brethren in the Holy Land has been much in evidence for over at decade. This op-ed piece from The Economist posits that the horrors faced by Christians in Syria’s civil war finally may be drawing Americans’ attention. Read the article

Global Slaughter of Christians, but Churches Are Silent
by Kirsten Powers
Sep 27, 2013

A major-media columnist shines a light on one contributor to America’s indifference to the recent wave of persecution and brutality against Middle East Christians – the American clergy. Read the article

October 2013

Do Christians Have a Future In the Middle East?
Al-Monitor
October 4, 2013 By Jean Aziz
Translated by: Tyler Huffman and Anthony Goode

Representatives from ancient Christian denominations gathered at a conference in Jordan last month to document the hurdles and outlook for Christians across the Middle East. This article by a Lebanese columnist and university lecturer presents a sharper perspective on events, from people “on the ground,” than is found in the Western media. Read the article

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