By Kevin Rawlinson
Relations between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East have reached crisis point, according to Prince Charles, who is “deeply troubled” by the plight of Christians in the region.
The heir to the British throne told a reception for Middle East Christians at Clarence House on Tuesday that the divisions have been “achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution, including to the Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time”.
Charles, who spoke of his work to promote understanding between the two religions, said bridges between Christians and Muslims were being deliberately destroyed by people with a vested interest.
He said this affected Arab Christians in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Egypt, as well as those from other Arab countries.
“I have for some time now been deeply troubled by the growing difficulties faced by Christian communities in various parts of the Middle East,” he said. “It seems to me that we cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are increasingly being deliberately targeted by fundamentalist Islamist militants.
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