"Now is not the time for silence. We must stand together and fight for a world where no one is persecuted because of what they believe." -David Cameron, British PM
Christians could soon be extinct from entire regions of the world, according to a new report from the U.K. Catholic group, Aid to the Church in Need.
This week, the group released its latest bi-annual report, Persecuted and Forgotten?
“Christians are fast disappearing from entire regions—most notably a huge chunk of the Middle East but also whole dioceses in Africa. In large part, this migration is the product of an ethnic cleansing motivated by religious hatred,” the report says.
As a result of the persecution against Christians, a massive exodus is happening in parts of the Middle East, notably Syria and Iraq.
Christianity could disappear from Iraq within the next five years if the situation doesn’t change, ACN’s John Pontifex told CBN’s George Thomas.
British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote a letter addressing the situation to introduce the ACN report to the House of Lords.
“No Believer should have to live in fear, and this is why (the British) Government is committed to promoting religious freedom and tolerance at home and around the world,” Cameron wrote.
“This report serves as a voice for the voiceless, from their prison cells and the places far from home where they have sought refuge,” he said. “Now is not the time for silence. We must stand together and fight for a world where no one is persecuted because of what they believe.”
ACN’s report says Christians are now the most persecuted faith group in the world, citing the International Society for Human Rights 2012 report, which estimates that 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination were against Christians.