Connor Shanley

The times in which we live are becoming more and more unpredictable and uncertain.  The world in which we live is changing rapidly, every day events are taking place around the world we don’t even know about.  These events are changing the world in which we live.  Recently there’s been a very strange thing happening in the Middle East; it has been popularly called the “Arab Spring.”  The Arab Spring refers to the recent increase in protest and civil disputes throughout the Middle East.  The Arabs are now trying to overthrow the oppressive regimes.  In many countries this would seem to be a good thing for the church and for Christians.  In some counties where these protests are occurring, the regimes have been oppressive to the Christian community.  In many cases, though, once the government is overthrown the chaos the protest and riots had will often be continued on to the Church.  This is why the Arab Spring is something the United States should be watching very closely.

The first country to start this Arab spring was started in Tunisia, on December 18, 2010; protest began in Tunisia to show public disapproval of government corruption.  The protests at first were going peacefully, but then various uprisings throughout the country resulted in over 1,000 deaths.  The protests only grew after that, though, and president and prime minister of Tunisia both stepped down from office.  The protests are still on going; the protesters still want to see major government reform.  Tunisia was the start of the Arab Spring, but it is definitely not the most well-known country with current civil unrest.  The country most noted for really being the start of the Arab Spring is Egypt.

On January 25, 2011, Egypt took after Tunisia’s example and started its protests and demonstrations.  Egyptians were sick of their government and their president Hosni Mubarak.  The protests in Egypt often grew violent; in one protest in Cairo, 846 people were killed and 6,000 were injured.  One seemingly good thing coming out of the protests though was Christians and Muslims were uniting to have their voices heard.  A sight seen very often during the protests was Christians forming protective barriers around Muslims during their 5 o’clock prayers.  Likewise, Muslim violence against Christians subsided for a time.  On February 11, Mubarak stepped down from office.  It was taken as a great moral victory for the protesters.  The success of the protest was not just felt in Egypt but in other Arab nations as they decided to follow Egypt and Tunisia.  Protest started to break out all over the Middle East; four days after Mubarak stepped down, Libyan rebel forces began a Civil War.

The aftermath in Egypt, though, was not all freedom and equality.  The government was now gone, and political chaos was taking over.  Violent protests were still going on, and at night people described Cairo as a war zone.  Much of the violence, however, was directed toward Christians.  Prior to the protests, the Christians in Egypt were already being persecuted, partially helped by the government, but the government did keep some peace.  Now that police can no longer enforce curfew, mobs of Muslim extremists are burning down churches and killing civilians.

Now many accounts of massacres of Christians throughout the Middle East exist.  Countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Algeria are having massive protests against the government, but because the police are so distracted by these protests they can’t protect the Christians.  The Christians are being overwhelmed; at first many thought this Arab spring would be a good thing for the unification of Muslim and Christian communities.  The Arab Spring has just sparked more anti-Christian violence.  Many believe the rise in violence is only reserved to some parts of the protest.  They believe as a whole, though, the Arab Spring will still be good for the unification of Christian and Muslim communities; they believe over all the Arab Spring is very good thing.

Many members of the media portray the Arab Spring as a good change.  The Arab Spring shows the Middle East is becoming more democratic.  The media on the left see it as the Middle East somewhat conforming to our way through wanting the common people to have a say in political matters.  There is a very dark side behind the Arab Spring, however: the rise in persecution.  Christians know behind these protests are people wanting to overthrow a regime not because it is not democratic but because the regime isn’t Muslim enough.

The problem now brewing in the Middle East is two types of protesters being seen; one type is the kind the leftist media love.  These protesters are the genuine young who want the right to vote and who want to put an end to their tyrannical government.  Then there is the other type, usually the older ones, who look to overthrow their government because their government has been too friendly to the West.  These protesters are angry their government is trying to impress America.  It is now a proven fact these protest leaders are members of terrorist organizations.  It taints the whole idea these protests are just all about freedom, and all this political unrest has become the perfect time for terrorists to try to get as much power as possible.

The Arab Spring, which at first looked to be a positive step forward, is now a dangerous threat to America.  The terrorists we are fighting every day are looking to take advantage of the political unrest.  The uncertainty of the outcome of the Arab Spring is endless; America could manage to gain many allies out of this.  For example, Libya (at least for a short time) should be on our side given we supported the rebels’ side.  Still, even Libya could turn on us, and now because of all the recent uprisings more weapons are in the Middle East than any agency can keep track of.  Most of these guns are just floating around the region with no one to keep track or regulate distribution of them.  Many of these weapons have already ended up in the hands of mobs that persecute Christians; those same people are the ones who will support the terrorists.

In conclusion, America must keep a very watchful eye on all this civil unrest.  If America uses the Arab Spring to its advantage, it could help stabilize the Middle East for years to come, but if America is not watchful, the wrong people may take control, and America could have a growing list of enemies.