The Last Supper : The Plight of Christians in Arab Lands

“A compelling story of the ethnic cleansing of Christian communities caught in the crossfire of the Middle East at war... Urgent and passionate” (Kirkus Reviews). In 2013, alarmed by scant attention paid to the hardships endured by the 7.5 million Christians in the Middle East, journalist Klaus Wivel—who practices no religion himself—traveled to Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories on a quest to learn more about their fate. He found an oppressed minority, constantly under threat of death and humiliation, increasingly desperate in the face of rising Islamic extremism and without hope that their situation would improve, or anyone would come to their aid. Wivel spoke with priests whose churches have been burned, citizens who feel like strangers in their own countries, and entire communities whose only hope for survival may be fleeing into exile. With the increase of religious violence in recent years, The Last Supper is a prescient and unsettling account of a severely beleaguered religious group living, so it seems, on borrowed time. In this book, Wivel recounts this humanitarian crisis in detail and asks why we have we not done more to protect these people. "More than any other recent book, this work sets out with absolute clarity and sometimes uncomfortable honesty the intolerable reality of life for Christians in the Middle East today ... a deeply intelligent picture of the situation, without cheap polemic or axe-grinding, this is a very important survey indeed."Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge University In 2013, alarmed by scant attention paid to the hardships endured by the 7.5 million Christians in the Middle East, journalist Klaus Wivel traveled to Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories on a quest to learn more about their fate. He found an oppressed minority, constantly under threat of death and humiliation, increasingly desperate in the face of rising Islamic extremism and without hope that their situation will improve, or anyone will come to their aid. Wivel spoke with priests whose churches have been burned, citizens who feel like strangers in their own countries, and entire communities whose only hope for survival may be fleeing into exile. With the increase of religious violence in the past few years, this book is a prescient and unsettling account of a severely beleaguered religious group living, so it seems, on borrowed time. Wivel asks, why have we not done more to protect these people? Klaus Wivel is a Danish journalist who has been the New York correspondent for Weekendavisen , one of Denmark's most prestigious newspapers. He has written on a wide range of topics, with a focus on the Middle East. Alarmed By Scant Attention Paid To The Hardships Endured By The 7.5 Million Christians In The Middle East, Journalist Klaus Wivel Traveled To Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, And The Palestinian. He Found An Oppressed Minority Under Threat Of Death And Humiliation And Increasingly Desperate In The Face Of Rising Islamic Extremism. Wivel Spoke With Priests Whose Churches Have Been Burned, Citizens Who Feel Like Strangers In Their Own Countries, And Entire Communities Whose Only Hope For Survival May Be Fleeing Into Exile. This Is An Unsettling Account Of A Severely Beleaguered Religious Group Living, So It Seems, On Borrowed Time. Wivel Asks, Why Have We Not Done More To Protect These People?--page [4] Of Cover. The West Bank And Gaza -- Egypt -- Lebanon -- Iraq. Klaus Wivel ; Translated By Mark Kline. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Translated From The Danish.