Obama Asked to Mention Persecution in Address to Islamic World
Groups representing persecuted Christians are requesting that President Obama mention religious freedom issues in his upcoming highly anticipated address to the Muslim world this week.
Open Doors, an international organization that advocates on behalf of 100 million persecuted Christians worldwide, urged the U.S. president to challenge Islamic governments to allow people to practice their faith of choice without retribution.
The ministry noted that out of its list of top 10 countries with the worst record of Christian persecution, seven of them are nations where Islam is the dominant religion.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Those who convert from Islam to Christianity likely face isolation, interrogation, arrest, torture, kidnapping and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ," said Open Doors USA president/CEO Carl Moeller, pointing out countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Somalia.
"However, it is legal for a Christian to convert to Islam," Moeller noted.
This year's Open Doors World Watch list was again dominated by Muslim-majority countries. The top 10 list includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen and Uzbekistan.
President Obama is scheduled to deliver a major address on Thursday to the Muslim world at Cairo University in Egypt. Around the world, anticipation is high as to what Obama will say in his attempt to improve strained relations between the Islamic world and the United States.
Muslims in Islamic countries, according to The Associated Press, want three key things from President Obama. They want to hear respect for Islam, a U.S. commitment to establishing a Palestinian state, and a pledge to quickly withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Several Muslims in Islamic countries told AP that they are more eager to see Obama's action than hear what he has to say to improve relations with the Muslim world.
In addition to Egypt, Obama also plans to visit Saudi Arabia and meet with King Abdullah. He will not be stopping in Israel despite its close proximity to the countries he will be visiting.
Christian Copts of California, a group that traces its roots to Egyptian Christians, believes that while reconciliation with the Islamic world is important, it cannot be separated from reciprocation.
It noted that Muslims are welcomed in the United Stats and given the same freedoms and rights as all other American citizens. They are not restricted from practicing their religion, converting others to Islam, or building mosques and Islamic schools.
However, in Egypt a Muslim cannot convert to Christianity or any the other faiths without repercussions. Christians need permission from the president to build new churches and a governor's approval to repair existing Christian buildings. And Egyptian Christians have been arrested for praying in their homes without a permit.
Although Christians make up about 15 percent of Egypt's population, they represent less than half of one percent of elected parliamentary representatives. Some jobs even limit the hiring of Christians to two percent or less.
"The Islamic world must not demand from us that which they are unwilling to return to us and to extend to their own citizens of other religions," said Christian Copts of California in a statement.
"I hope you help them understand reconciliation is a two-way street," the group added.
