Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday held talks with former prime minister Saad Hariri in the French capital Paris. Earlier in the day, al-Rahi said the presence of Christians in the Middle East “protects Islam from bigotry and extremism,” during a lecture at the Catholic institute in Paris.

“It is our duty, we the Christians of the Levant, to inform the West of the true nature of Islam,” al-Rahi added.“According to us, Muslims are not terrorists. They are not people who endorse violence or war. Islam and Muslims are moderate,” said al-Rahi. On Tuesday, al-Rahi held talks with French President Francois Hollande on the latest political developments. [Link]