Arab Christians
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Syria
|
520,000-703,000 |
 Lebanon
|
350,000 |
 Jordan
|
221,000 |
 Israel
|
127,300 |
 Palestine
|
38,000 (excluding East Jerusalem)-50,000 |
 Iraq
|
10,000 |
 Egypt
|
10,000-350,000 |
 Turkey
|
18,000 |
 Morocco
|
8,000-40,000. |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, Hebrew (within Israel), French (within Lebanon and diaspora), English, Spanish and Portuguese (diaspora) | |
| Religion | |
|
Christianity: Greek Orthodox (Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria) Latin Greek Catholic (Melkite and other sects) Oriental Orthodoxy Protestantism |
|
|
[a].^ excluding Copts [b].^ excluding Assyrians [c].^ excluding Maronites [d].^ prior to Syrian civil war |
|
520,000-703,000
350,000
221,000
127,300
10,000-350,000
Arab Christians (Arabic: مسيحيون عرب Masīḥiyyūn ʿArab) are Arabs of the Christian faith. They are descended from ancient Arab Christian clans that did not convert to Islam, such as the Kahlani Qahtani tribes of Ancient history of Yemen (i.e. Ghassanids, and Banu Judham) who settled in Transjordan and Syria, as well as Arabized Christians, such as Melkites and Antiochian Greek Christians. Arab Christians, forming Greek Orthodox and Latin Christian communities, are estimated to be 520,000-703,000 in Syria, 221,000 in Jordan, 127,000 in Israel and around 50,000 in Palestine. There is also a sizable Arab Christian Orthodox community in Lebanon and marginal communities in Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. Emigrants from Arab Christian (including Melkite) communities make up a significant proportion of the Middle Eastern diaspora, with sizable population concentrations across the Americas, most notably in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and the US.
The first Arab tribes to adopt Christianity were likely Nabataeans and Ghassanids. During the fifth and sixth centuries, the Ghassanids, who adopted Monophysitism, formed one of the most powerful confederations allied to Christian Byzantium, being a buffer against the pagan tribes of Arabia. The last king of the Lakhmids, al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir, a client of the Sasanian Empire in the late sixth century, also converted to Christianity (in this case, to the Nestorian sect). Arab Christians played important roles in al-Nahda movement in modern times, and because Arab Christians formed the educated upper class and the bourgeoisie, they have had a significant impact in politics, business and culture of the Arab world. Today Arab Christians still play important roles in the Arab world, and Christians are relatively wealthy, well educated, and politically moderate.
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Wikipedia