The Middle East, which nurtured some of the world's earliest civilizations, is today a region of diverse peoples and cultures. It is also a region beset by political, social, and religious conflicts–including devastating civil wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan. Thus many people have left their homelands in hopes of finding a safer life elsewhere. Middle Eastern immigrants have been arriving on North American shores since the late 1800s, but in recent decades their numbers have risen dramatically. A wave of refugees fleeing from Syria and Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016 has caused political turmoil, as American and Canadian leaders debate whether to permit them into their societies. Though the contributions of Middle Easterners have long enriched North American society, the future of Middle Eastern immigration appears uncertain.