"Disentangling” some Knots: Narratives and Counter-narratives of the Christian Presence in the Contemporary Middle East

Today, the entropic spread of violence within the region has again turned the spotlight on the condition of non-Muslims within the Middle East. In particular, the ongoing con icts in Iraq and Syria – where the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) sensationalises suffering and spurs hundreds of thousands of people to ee – multiply con- cerns. However, the imperilling of non-Muslims is only a symptom of the deeper crisis involving the populations of the whole Middle East and not just a new instance of what is erroneously considered the inescapable confrontation between Islam and Christianity. In fact, that which is striking is not merely the magnitude of this crisis, but the complexity of the ongoing con ict where local, regional and in- ternational interests deeply intertwine, resulting in a vicious circle of violence and confrontation without any foreseeable end.