The Case for Syrian Christians

When the media reported that Ted Cruz wanted to only admit Syrian Christian refugees into the United States, the junior senator from the Lone Star state found himself once again in the midst of a Texas-size media tornado. It turns out that a case can be made for giving Syrian Christians, if not preferential treatment, then at least more consideration than they now get.

“There are two percent of refugees from Syria who are Christian but 10 percent of the population of Syria is Christian,” Georgetown professor Timothy Samuel Shah pointed out in a forum at the Heritage Foundation on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. The forum was co-sponsored by the National Review Institute. Shah is an associate professor of the Practice of Religion and Global Politics at Georgetown.

“I know of one Yazidi who has come,” Nadine Maenza of Hardwired said at the Heritage Forum. Sponsored by the British government, Hardwired seeks to unite Christians and moderate Muslims in order to combat religious persecution. According to the Guardian, the Yazidis religion “is derived from Zoroastrianism (an ancient Persian faith founded by a philosopher), Christianity and Islam.”

“You can make the case that Syrian Christians should be given priority for safety reasons,” Maenza avers. She has received reports that Syrian Christians are experiencing persecution even while they languish in refugee camps.

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