Desperate to Escape: Christians Flee Lebanon
By George Thomas CBNNews
CBNNews.com – BEIRUT, Lebanon - In 48 hours, ****** and ******** will start a new chapter in their lives."It is good to start from the beginning in a good place and a very peaceful place," said ******. The newly wed Christian couple, with a baby on the way, will travel north by road from Beirut, Lebanon to Damascus, Syria.
Asked if the journey to leave is risky, ****** said, “Yes, it is very risky.”Their final destination? Toronto, Canada."I have a baby, and we want to have a good future for him," said *******’s wife.But the decision to leave their homeland wasn't an easy one to make."I am trying to say goodbye to my friends and family,” ****** said. “For now, I don'twant to think about it. It is very sad."The ******* are not the only ones leaving. Many of their friends at church have either left or are trying to leave the country for good. Pastor Shadi el-Aouad says that a number of families have approached him, desperate to escape.He said, "Christians are asking the question: Why would we stay? Why would we lose our homes, our businesses, and even our lives for something we are really not a part of?"
But the ********** are not just leaving because of the war. They're also concerned that Lebanon is becoming a hostile place for Christians. "The religious Muslims are really scary. They hate us," said ******. Christians were once the majority in Lebanon. Not anymore. They now make up less than 40 percent of the population. The rest are Muslims.
And their numbers are growing. ****** said, "We are afraid that it is becoming a Muslim country."***;s work takes him around the Middle East. He says that Muslims today are out-producing Christians."What you are seeing in reality is real,” ****** said. “They are multiplying too much.”Every family produces five to 10 children. These children will then have five to 10 children. So it’s 10 exponential – 10 in the second generation."
The Christian population in Lebanon began to drop during the civil wars, either through emigration or declining birth rates.This latest conflict is seeing a new wave of emigration.Sixteen-year-old *******, a Christian from west Beirut, is leaving soon for Australia."I am forced to,” she said. “At the moment, schools are closed. And if I want to do anything good for Lebanon, I need to continue my education."Some suggest that up to 70 percent of the Christians that are left in Lebanon are ready to leave as soon as the Beirut airport opens.
***** ****** is one of them. She said, "Since I was born, there's been a war. Every 10 years there's another war. I plan to leave this country to have a life."And it is not just in Lebanon. Across the Muslim and Arab world, Christians are fleeing the growing hostility against them."
In Jordan, big numbers of Christians are leaving. In Iraq, big numbers of Christians are leaving. So too, in Syria," said Pastor Aouad. Aouad says that the real impact of Christians leaving Lebanon will only be felt in the future."My concern is that we are losing our inheritance, our father's inheritance, and not just the land's inheritance, but our spiritual inheritance in the nation," he said.
Meanwhile, those who have chosen to stay are ministering to thousands of Muslim refugees displaced by the war. Across the country, Lebanese Christians have opened their homes and churches to those fleeing the Israeli attacks in the south of Lebanon. But in some of the Christian areas of Beirut, the refugees, many of whom are Hezbollah supporters, think that the Christians are not doing them any special favors by helping them. Instead, many Muslims believe that the Christians have a duty to come to their aid. As the ****** get ready to leave, they are holding onto a promise in the Bible that one day Lebanon will see better days. ****** said, "We have a promise in the Bible that says, ‘In a moment, Lebanon will become like a heaven.’ I prefer to walk by faith and not by what I am seeing, and I trust my God because He is greater than what I am seeing."
[Names removed per special request.]
By George Thomas CBNNews
CBNNews.com – BEIRUT, Lebanon - In 48 hours, ****** and ******** will start a new chapter in their lives."It is good to start from the beginning in a good place and a very peaceful place," said ******. The newly wed Christian couple, with a baby on the way, will travel north by road from Beirut, Lebanon to Damascus, Syria.
Asked if the journey to leave is risky, ****** said, “Yes, it is very risky.”Their final destination? Toronto, Canada."I have a baby, and we want to have a good future for him," said *******’s wife.But the decision to leave their homeland wasn't an easy one to make."I am trying to say goodbye to my friends and family,” ****** said. “For now, I don'twant to think about it. It is very sad."The ******* are not the only ones leaving. Many of their friends at church have either left or are trying to leave the country for good. Pastor Shadi el-Aouad says that a number of families have approached him, desperate to escape.He said, "Christians are asking the question: Why would we stay? Why would we lose our homes, our businesses, and even our lives for something we are really not a part of?"
But the ********** are not just leaving because of the war. They're also concerned that Lebanon is becoming a hostile place for Christians. "The religious Muslims are really scary. They hate us," said ******. Christians were once the majority in Lebanon. Not anymore. They now make up less than 40 percent of the population. The rest are Muslims.
And their numbers are growing. ****** said, "We are afraid that it is becoming a Muslim country."***;s work takes him around the Middle East. He says that Muslims today are out-producing Christians."What you are seeing in reality is real,” ****** said. “They are multiplying too much.”Every family produces five to 10 children. These children will then have five to 10 children. So it’s 10 exponential – 10 in the second generation."
The Christian population in Lebanon began to drop during the civil wars, either through emigration or declining birth rates.This latest conflict is seeing a new wave of emigration.Sixteen-year-old *******, a Christian from west Beirut, is leaving soon for Australia."I am forced to,” she said. “At the moment, schools are closed. And if I want to do anything good for Lebanon, I need to continue my education."Some suggest that up to 70 percent of the Christians that are left in Lebanon are ready to leave as soon as the Beirut airport opens.
***** ****** is one of them. She said, "Since I was born, there's been a war. Every 10 years there's another war. I plan to leave this country to have a life."And it is not just in Lebanon. Across the Muslim and Arab world, Christians are fleeing the growing hostility against them."
In Jordan, big numbers of Christians are leaving. In Iraq, big numbers of Christians are leaving. So too, in Syria," said Pastor Aouad. Aouad says that the real impact of Christians leaving Lebanon will only be felt in the future."My concern is that we are losing our inheritance, our father's inheritance, and not just the land's inheritance, but our spiritual inheritance in the nation," he said.
Meanwhile, those who have chosen to stay are ministering to thousands of Muslim refugees displaced by the war. Across the country, Lebanese Christians have opened their homes and churches to those fleeing the Israeli attacks in the south of Lebanon. But in some of the Christian areas of Beirut, the refugees, many of whom are Hezbollah supporters, think that the Christians are not doing them any special favors by helping them. Instead, many Muslims believe that the Christians have a duty to come to their aid. As the ****** get ready to leave, they are holding onto a promise in the Bible that one day Lebanon will see better days. ****** said, "We have a promise in the Bible that says, ‘In a moment, Lebanon will become like a heaven.’ I prefer to walk by faith and not by what I am seeing, and I trust my God because He is greater than what I am seeing."
[Names removed per special request.]
