I came across a poll recently that left me feeling depressed. The poll found that Democrats are more likely to think Muslims are mistreated in America than to think Christians are mistreated in the Islamic world.
Quite frankly, that’s sad. But it’s not hard to see how many Democrats have gotten that impression.
When a Muslim is discriminated against in America, it often attracts headlines across the county. Such mistreatment reinforces the liberal narrative that America is an unwelcome place for anyone who’s not a white Christian male. But that’s fake news. If America were such an intolerable place for Muslims to live, why are so many coming to live here?
The number of Muslims in America has more than doubled since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when many liberals insist a wave of Islamophobia suddenly spread across the country. A recent Pew Research Center survey estimated that the U.S. Muslim population will double by 2050, to 8.1 million people.
The number of mosques here has increased exponentially too. What’s more, many of these Muslims come to escape persecution by other Muslims in their homelands.
Meanwhile, the persecution of Christians in the Middle East barely gets any coverage in the America media. That’s in part because most American journalists associate Christianity with America’s religious right, with cultural battles over abortion and gay marriage, and, more recently, with President Trump. They are thus hostile to any news that may paint Christians as victims, even if they reside halfway across the world.
This is a shame because Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. According to a conservative estimate by the human rights watchdog Open Doors USA, 215 million Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution.
And a recent report by the charity Aid to the Church in Need found that persecution against Christians is the worst it’s ever been in human history. “Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution,” the report said.
I’m not talking about dirty looks or disparaging comments, but rape, kidnapping, murder and the destruction of churches. The report found that the overwhelming majority of this slaughter and destruction is occurring in 50 nations — 38 of which are predominantly Muslim. One estimate puts the number of Christians killed annually for their faith at 100,000.
From attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt and the burning of monasteries in Syria to the imprisonment of Christians in Eritrea and the government-ordered destruction of churches in Sudan, Christians in many parts of the world are increasingly unwelcome. Even the Obama administration acknowledged the genocide of Christians in parts of the Middle East. Leaving bacon in a mosque or burning a Koran doesn’t hold a candle to what millions of Christians have faced under the Islamic State.
Ignorance of this sad reality isn’t confined to members of political party that increasing shuns God. Even many American Christians don’t seem to fully understand what’s happening to their co-religionists abroad.
According to a March poll, 40 percent of American Catholics believe that global persecution of Christians is “severe.” But when asked to rank their concern for various global issues, Christian persecution came in last among five topics. About 69 percent said they were concerned, less than 86 percent who named human trafficking and the 86 percent who named poverty.
Fighting poverty and human trafficking are obviously important causes, and Christians are at the forefront of those fights. But one would hope that Christians had a particular appreciation for and sensitivity to the urgency of the crisis facing their brethren.
On Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified, Christians are called upon to contemplate the good Nnews — to recall that by giving up his life for us, Jesus conquered death and rose from the tomb.
Today is thus an ideal day for Christians and all people of good will to consider what they can do to become better acquainted with the plight of Christians across the globe, and to reflect on what they can do to fight it.
Gary Bauer is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is president of American Values and chairman of Campaign for Working Families. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000.
