From Polarization to Cohabitation in the New Middle East

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As paradoxical as it sounds, the New Middle East is both old and dynamic, akin to the shifting sands of the desert. This work highlights cases from a region often characterized by polarized portrayals and fluctuating forces, partly stemming from a 2019 conference in Romania. It offers a global research perspective, beginning with James Gelvin's examination of Religion and Society in the New Middle East, followed by Marshall Breger's insights on Jerusalem. Daniel Seidemann enhances this view with a current initiative featuring a database of hundreds of sacred sites. The focus then shifts to Egypt through Sebastian Elsässer's study of Samīr Murquṣ. Bishara Ebeid and Johan Gärde contribute cases from Lebanon, while George A. Kiraz provides a captivating perspective on the identity of the Syriac Orthodox community in the U.S., supported by archival collections. Martin Tamcke addresses a pressing issue with Mor Ignatius Aphrem II's 2018 letter to the World Council of Churches amid the Syrian war. The volume concludes with Elizabeth Monier's chapter on the Gulf states and A. B?rbieru's insights into Ethiopia-Romania relations. Together, these papers offer a virtual journey through the New Middle East, enhanced by maps such as Terrestrial Jerusalem’s database and The Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map.