Islam

Overall, persecution of Christians worldwide continues to increase. It is estimated that 100 million Christians are actively being persecuted. The level of persecution may vary from one country to another, but those persecuted suffer from interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ.

Harassment, violence and arrests of Christians have reportedly intensified since the secession of South Sudan, when Sudan president Omar al Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

The persecution of Christians "vastly rose" in 2012 as radical Islamists consolidated power in Africa, according to Open Doors, a Christian missionary organization that publishes an annual list of offending nations.

Concerns are growing over at least 50 cases of religious freedom violations against Christians in Indonesia last year, as not only extremists but ordinary Muslims were responsible for many of the acts of intolerance and violence, according to a recent study.

Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi appointed Islamists to key cabinet posts over the weekend, bringing new parts of the government under Muslim Brotherhood control.

The Pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera -- known for its anti-Israel, pro-Islamist propaganda and its long record as the chosen news outlet for al Qaeda and other terrorist cells -- will soon infiltrate the homes of almost 40 million Americans following its Jan. 2 purchase of Al Gore's left-leaning cable channel Current TV.

What do the Obama administration, the media and the bulk of American Christians have in common?

Syrian rebels beheaded a Christian man and fed his body to dogs, according to a nun who says the West is ignoring atrocities committed by Islamic extremists.

As part of heightened persecution of Christians since South Sudan seceded from Sudan last year, Sudanese authorities have arrested two priests of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Sudan and accused them of baptizing a convert from Islam.

It's a new year, but some things remain the same. Take Islamists for example. In Nigeria, Islamic extremists slaughtered 15 Christians. In Syria, members of the rebel group supported by the U.S. have murdered a Christian pastor, his wife and three children

Egypt has approved a new, pro-Islamist constitution, and Christians and other minorities foresee bleak and repressive days ahead.

According to a new study by the think tank Civitas, Christianity faces being wiped out in the "biblical heartlands" in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of Christians -- with militant Islam the primary reason for the oppression.

Without any prior notice or summons from police, a Christian convert from Islam in Algeria received word on Dec. 11 that he had been convicted of pressuring a Muslim to leave his religion.

The final vote on Egypt's new Islamist constitution is this weekend, and supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi -- a long-time member of the Muslim Brotherhood -- continue to clash in the streets.

A 32-year-old Iranian who is a U.S. citizen and a Christian convert has been imprisoned without notice of any formal charges while visiting his family in Iran, according to his wife and attorneys in the U.S.

As American Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of the Son of God with family and friends, safe from the threat of physical persecution and ensconced in our national cocoon of religious liberty and security, let us not fail to “remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body [of Christ]” (Hebrews 13:3).

Egypt's opposition is leading mass protests to reject the Islamist-backed draft constitution, days after President Morsi claimed victory in the first round of voting amid allegations of polling violations.

A new study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows that while Christians and Muslims make up the two largest groups, those with no religious affiliation -- including atheists and agnostics -- are now the third-largest "religious" group in the world.

Gunmen in central Somalia on Dec. 8 killed an underground Christian who had been receiving death threats for leaving Islam.

Islamists appear to have won a narrow victory in the first round of voting on Egypt's constitution, though Egyptian rights groups are charging that there were widespread violations.