Abstract

The on-going discriminations and violent attacks against Christian communities of the Middle East have led several observers to speak of new religious persecutions. French President Nicolas Sarkozy described them as part of a plan of religious cleansing of the entire region. Since centuries, Middle Eastern Christians have been playing the role of a bridge between Western and Islamic countries. The humanitarian tragedy of Middle Eastern Christians may also have very negative geopolitical consequences in the relationship between civilisations, and in particular between the two shores of the Mediterranean.