**3. Conclusion**

The international order is founded on the principle of state sovereignty, where states have a monopoly over the use of force within their territorial jurisdiction, while any external intervention in the internal affairs of states is prohibited. Further, minorities in the Middle East live within either failed states (Lebanon, Iraq) or predatory states (Iran) or both failed and predatory (Syria). Under this order and circumstances and given that tiny religious minorities have no mother state or close powerful allies, then authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and Islamist movements have persecuted tiny religious minorities, while the international community turned a blind eye to these violations. Protecting these minorities requires greater intervention by the international community, which should convince Muslim states, in particular, to explicitly accept the principle of religious freedom that would allow these minorities to freely practice their traditions.
