Dr. Alam Payind, Director of the Middle East Studies Center joins us. We discuss Minority Religious Groups in the Middle East, delving into the struggles different religious minorities have faced over the centuries until today. The Middle East is uniquely diverse as a crossroads of civilizations. Religious identity has played an important role in the power dynamics between the many different communities created by the many different traditions, cultures, and languages. Invaders, also, have played a central part in divisions and conflicts between religious communities. At the same time, communities withstand all of these situations and continue to practice their faith, even until today.