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Christians View Syria as Haven in Unstable Region

Alistair Lyon, special correspondant for Reuters, has published this interesting analysis of Christians in Syria.

"Many Muslims feel they own the truth. Many Christians do too," said Mayssa Rumman, who runs a tiny, lovingly restored hotel in Bab Touma, a Christian quarter of the Old City.

"But we don't fight about it and it doesn't stop us from being neighbors or from working with each other," she said.

Syria's dwindling Christians coexist with their Muslim compatriots in a country many of them see as a safe haven, in a region where religious minorities often struggle for survival. ...

Syria remains a relatively benign place for Christians, who nevertheless fear any spillover of regional conflicts and the rise of Islamist movements that might restrict their freedoms.

Muslims and Christians enjoy equal rights here, apart from a constitutional stipulation that the president must be a Muslim.

Click here to read the piece in full.