Promoting and Protecting Religious Diversity in the Middle East

The Arab world has been in the throes of a tumultuous reconfiguration of domestic and regional powers unprecedented since the aftermath of WWI when new countries were being carved out of old empires. Yet, in countries that have experienced regime ruptures, participation in liberation struggles has not translated into power-sharing for the politically marginalised. The question of how to promote and protect diversity in the region is a pressing one. Particularly at a time when Syria – a country with a high level of religious and ethnic heterogeneity – is on the brink of political reconfiguration. Inclusive policies will be essential to ensure the prospects of advancing holistic human development and real exercise of citizenship.