An Arab Christian take on the much exaggerated horrors of Dhimmitude

Thanks to the good folks at Al-Hewar, I just came across a refreshingly sober and thoughtful (not to mention nicely produced) article in an Antiochian Orthodox publication on the lot of non-Muslims under Muslim rule in the Middle East since the advent of Islam.

Here's its introduction:

The symposium in which this paper is being given, “Christians and Jews Under Islam,” held at Antiochian Village, Ligonier, PA, July 21–25, 2008, could not have come at a better time. Those of us who may follow Middle East news closely but have no solid foundation in Middle East history might think that unrest, conflict and bloodletting have always been endemic to the Middle East. “This is the Middle East,” we might say: “What do you expect?” Well, I am happy to say that such has not been the case.

Great stuff that illustrates how biased and/or disconnected from reality the Horrors of Dhimmitude Brigade is.

There's so much to say, but I have a Crystal Report to get sorted out…

P.S. Not that there's any danger of a defection, but while I used to say that if I were Christian I'd be a Quaker, in recent years I've come to think that it would be Orthodox.

Don't sleep on the Orthodox, especially if you're Sufi and do dhikr. (Or if you love art or are fond of  incense.)

Don't know how they keep track of all their groupings, though. All the branches, doctrinal nuances and factions are enough to make your head spin. And that's not even factoring in the existence of Uniate Churches. It makes the maze that is American Protestantantism seem simple by comparison, and that's frankly saying something.