Christians in Syria and Iraq: From Co-optation to Militarisation Strategies

Christians in Syria and Iraq: From Co-optation to Militarisation StrategiesStudies in World ChristianitySyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/95U53R8W/tei

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

2024-08-15-04:00

Born digital.

CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.SotirisRoussosStavrosDrakoularakosChristians in Syria and Iraq: From Co-optation to Militarisation Strategieshttp://syriaca.org/cbss/95U53R8Whttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/95U53R8Whttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/95U53R8WStudies in World Christianity28:32022334-360After the eruption of civil strife in Syria and Iraq, widespread violence and harassment, mainly by jihadist groups, came to substantiate fears for the extinction of the Christians. Various jihadist groups have perpetrated an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians. The paper will examine another alternative to co-optation, a survival strategy that has developed among the Christians in Iraq and Syria, that of armed resistance and the organisation of militias. This militarisation trend reveals serious inner-communal disagreements. Caught among regional antagonisms and suspicious of the ascendent Sunni, Shia and Kurdish political aspirations and nationalisms, the idea of self-determination and self-government in an autonomous zone around Nineveh seems the best alternative to state co-optation. The paper will also look into the evolving relationship of the Christian communities with the state, the Muslim majorities, the other non-Muslim communities and the international community in a system of overlapping authority and multiple loyalty in the region. Roussos, Sotiris, and Stavros Drakoularakos. “Christians in Syria and Iraq: From Co-Optation to Militarisation Strategies.” Studies in World Christianity 28:3 (2022): 334–60. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3366/swc.2022.0403. Sotiris Roussos and Stavros Drakoularakos, Christians in Syria and Iraq: From Co-Optation to Militarisation Strategies, Studies in World Christianity 28:3 (2022): 334–60, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3366/swc.2022.0403.IraqMuslim-Christian relationsSyriaXIX-XXI CEXXI CEpoliticswar