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Candace Lukasik, The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire. By Mitri Raheb, Journal of Church and State, Volume 64, Issue 4, Autumn 2022, Pages 744–746, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/csac051
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Extract
In recent years, the plight of Middle Eastern Christians in the wake of both the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS has been a central focus of Western religiopolitical interest. Western Christians have depicted Middle Eastern Christians as persecuted peoples and martyred co-religionists, viewing their plight as an extension of a broader global trend of anti-Christian hate. In his latest book, Mitri Raheb offers a historical account and contemporary analysis of the representation of Middle Eastern Christians as victims as he advocates for a refocus on their agency and resilience. From the perspective of a Palestinian Christian theologian, The Politics of Persecution offers a decolonial and grounded view of power, as it is experienced by Middle Eastern Christians. In opposition to portrayals of Christian death and ruin in the Middle East, Raheb lays the foundation for a new way of looking at Christian communities in the region—not merely as objects of analysis, but as actors telling their own stories.