Crisis in the Near East
Arab Christians in the Holy Land
Rateb Y. Rabie, Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of Holy Sepulchre, is the founder, president, and CEO of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF). Born in Amman, Jordan, to Palestinian parents, Rabie and others concerned about Arab and Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land have organized over twenty programs and offices in the Washington, D.C., area and Bethlehem. He is committed to improving living conditions for Palestinian Christians in their homeland, preserving Palestine’s Christian heritage, and strengthening the identity of Palestinian Christians in the worldwide diaspora. Rateb met his wife Rocio in the U.S., and they are the parents of four daughters and have two grandsons. They are active parishioners at the Shrine of the St. Jude in Rockville, Maryland.
WHEN
Friday | 16 Sep, 1:00 PM
WHERE
238 HRCB
Friday | 16 Sep, 1:00 PM
WHERE
238 HRCB
Arab Christians have maintained the holy sites of Palestine since the advent of Christianity in the first century a.d. By the end of the Ottoman Empire after WWI, Christian Arabs made up fully 18 percent of the population. Since 1948, their numbers have dwindled to less than 2 percent. Learn about the growing Christian crisis in the Near East, its multiple causes and recent trends, as well as what programs in Palestine are addressing this emergency situation.
Sponsored by BYU’s Department of Anthropology and David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.