In Iraq, a Christian community that used to have one million followers has dwindled. Across Baghdad terrified Christians remaining in Iraq celebrate Easter while under protection. Today, most of the worshipers are women and children, as many Christian men have either been kidnapped, or worse, killed.

In 2006, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Baghdad, reported a story about a 36 year-old Christian woman, Julie Carlo: “Recently, life for Christians in Iraq has turned into a horror movie."

In the West Bank, Christian villages have been set ablaze by Molotov cocktails thrown by Muslim neighbors. Predominantly Christian cities such as Bethlehem have become Muslim dominated. Christians have left due to severe and violent persecution. Christian leaders remaining in Bethlehem have dodged multiple assassination attempts.

Today, it is illegal to openly practice Christianity, or establish a place of non-Muslim worship in Saudi Arabia. And practitioners of faiths outside Islam are not even permitted to enter the holy Muslim cities of Mecca or Medina.
Yet, in the United States, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has used his tremendous wealth to create the appearance of concord between Islam and the Church. While it is illegal to be a Christian in Saudi Arabia, American universities have programs, sponsored by the Saudis, presenting an understanding of the world’s two largest religions in our nation’s capital.
Persecution based on faith is a threat to religions around the world. Where Radical Islam is spreading Christian communities are threatened with violence and struggle to maintain a distinct identity and practice.