“Oriental Christians” in France and in Syria: Political Stakes and Redefined Identities

Since 2013, the wars in Iraq and Syria have revived the persecution of Christians of the Middle East as an issue in Europe, in the context of Islamist targeting of religious minorities. The French case is especially revealing of the NGO, ideological and political movements that have emerged to advocate for the "Christians of the Middle East", or "Oriental Christians" (in French, "Chrétiens d'Orient", "Christians of the Orient"). The use of this term is far from reflecting the diversity of Christian standpoints with respect to these wars. Rather, both in France and in Syria, it contributes to processes in which identities become redefined.