Photo: wiki/Images_of_Jihad_(Pakistan)
Towards the end of last year Jeremy Hunt warned the country that Christianity "was on the verge of extinction in it's birthplace", which was of course across the Middle east. The Foreign Secretary announced that there would be a "review" of the plight of Christians around the world, which carefully avoided the ever present "elephant in the room".
The rest of the Middle East, North Africa plus Iran and Pakistan is dominated by Islamic regimes whereby Islam, usually through varying forms of Sharia dominates. Non-believers are usually second class citizens and in most of these countries are persecuted to one degree or another.
In Egypt, home to the largest and quite unique Coptic Church kidnappings of girls and women are endemic and rarely dealt with by the authorities, Churches are attacked as are Christian neighbourhoods. The police rarely intervene against the Islamist fanatics.
The case of Asia Bibi is well documented but her plight is just the tip of the iceberg in Pakistan where widespread abuse of the draconian and Islamic based "blasphemy laws" are used against the Christian community by unscrupulous and bigoted Muslims alike. One couple were burnt to death in a brick kiln for an alleged "slight" against Islam.
Saudi Arabia allows no churches to be built despite there being a fairly large population of Christians who have to hide their practices from the Religious Police who are notorious in their actions. In Brunei the Sultan has decreed that Sharia is God's Law" and is applied even to non-Muslims. Public displays of Christianity even at Christmas attract severe penalties.
Whilst problems exist elsewhere (China being the main culprit), it has to be recognised that the main problem is within Muslim countries and this has to be addressed. For too long Islam has tried to present itself as the victim when in reality it is Muslims and other minorities in particular that are oppressed by the theology.
At the United Nations 52 Islamic countries tried and failed to get "blasphemy declared a crime world-wide. A ridiculous and frankly quite chilling demand yet these countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and other sit on various committees condemning other for sometimes non-existent crimes or those that they are themselves committing.
The UN is a farce. Dominated by dictators despots and the corrupt.
It is up to the ordinary Christians around the free world to launch a campaign to defend their brethren. In this country a solidarity campaign is sorely needed. I call on all demonetisation and none to unite and promote justice where it is lacking and not to be afraid of pointing out home truths where it happens.
250 Christians a month are believed to die at the hands of oppressors. It's probably more. Christianity was born and is native to the Middle East but is under threat.
That threat must be met with a campaign to both rescue the innocent and shame the oppressor no matter who they might be.
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