Out of the Valley of Qadisha: Modern Syro-Maronite Identity and Its Impact on Relations with the Arab Islamic World

Abstract

The Maronite Church is an Eastern Church within the Catholic communion, taking the name of its most revered saint, a hermit of the fourth century known as Maron. Throughout its history, it has developed from a small community of Syrian refugee into an internationally present hierarchical Church numbering in the millions. Spread across the world, it remains deeply tied to its history and homeland in Lebanon where the Patriarch continues to reside. This continuity, through an ever-changing environment, has affected the identity building of the Maronite community. The recent rise of the Islamic State and the brutality it brought about in the Middle East has once again pushed this Church of refugees to reconsider its relation to its Arab and Islamic neighbours. The study analyzes the historical and modern conditions shaping the identity of the Maronite Church. Basing itself on the emerging pattern, it continues to form an outline of what the future relations between both communities will develop into, as well as how they will impact the political scenery in the Arab world.