We knew this. In general, Muslims around the world persecute Christians in all Muslim societies. It’s known as “Christianophobia,” and it has nothing to do with Muslim militants. It’s business as usual. The Koran gives the ordinary non-militant Muslim the right to see Christians (and Jews and Buddhists) as less than human beings.
Shortt questions whether there is “a problem with Islam as such”, or if the trouble is more a matter of contingencies.
He states that part of the answer is theological, “There is a theory that the idea of jihad is more deeply embedded in Islam than related notions in the other world religions – and therefore that Islam is more susceptible to violent extremism – because of the martial context in which Islam took root.”
A point here is that “violent extremism” is not necessarily a product of “militant Islam.” If you click the link directly below, you’ll see this:
Young Christians don’t easily become radicalized but tend to resist non-violently or keep a low profile. This has enabled politicians and the media to play down a problem of huge dimensions.
More from Tulsa Today:
Christianophobia, which was published last month, written by journalist Rupert Shortt for Civitas, argues that “Christians are targeted more than any other body of believers.” He quotes research by the Pew Forum and the World Evangelical Alliance, which estimates that 200 million Christians (ten per cent of the global total) are socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their faith…
The report argues that the “lion’s share” of anti-Christian persecution happens in Muslim-majority societies, where religious freedom is generally very restricted. But it also rightly stresses that much “Christianophobia” has nothing to do with militant Islam. It is rife under the Communist regimes of China and North Korea and also in mainly Buddhist societies such as Sri Lanka and Burma.
This report in Tulsa Today is extensive. Read more here, including a discussion of U.S. and U.K. foreign policy. Thanks to PoliNation for the graphic.