By Jay Sekulow
An Islamic terror campaign against Christians in Egypt should be headline-grabbing news. Not so. Few media outlets are focusing on the story behind the story in Egypt — a calculated assault against Egypt’s ancient Christian community.
In recent weeks, the violence in Egypt –fueled by hate-filled radical Muslims — has resulted in the murder of Coptic Christians and the destruction of dozens of churches. Radical Islamists have even paraded Christian nuns through the streets like prisoners of war.
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, an anti-American, anti-Israel terrorist group, put red paint on Christian homes and businesses — marking them as targets.
The attacks are so unrelenting that even one Egyptian church, which has been open for 1,600 years, had to close its doors — cancelling services for the first time ever — because of the violence.
The assault on Christians is not confined to Egypt. We see it in our work in Pakistan, where Christians are also singled out and face grave dangers because of their faith.
And, just this week, an American citizen experienced religious persecution first-hand when a court in Iran rejected his appeal. Christian pastor Saeed Abedini faces eight years in prison. He’s been imprisoned now for nearly one year, subjected to beatings and torture, simply because of his Christian faith.
The disturbing decision by Iran’s judiciary violates the universally-respected principles of protecting human rights and religious freedom. And, the decision seems to indicate that it is business as usual Iran — even under the new President Hassan Rohani.