Minorities and Marginalized Communities in the Middle East: The Case for Inclusion

To better understand the history and the heritage of ethnic and sectarian divides in the Middle East, it is essential to grasp the unity and diversity of Islam, as well as the region’s cultural mosaic. The issue of sectarian and ethnic divides lies at the heart of marginalized communities. Virtually all Middle Eastern countries have minority groups. Some are religious minorities; others are ethnic-linguistic minorities; and still others are a combination of both. Some minorities in the Middle East have aspired for a separate national home (the Kurds in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey), while others are content with grants of equal rights within a country (the Copts in Egypt, the Druze in Lebanon). That some minorities have been overrepresented in power hierarchies helps explain their support for the maintenance of the status quo (the Sunnis in Iraq prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion).1 Although broadly speaking all groups are minorities no matter who rules, in some countries minorities rule, such as the Maronites in Lebanon and the Alewites in Syria.