In this mailing: Raymond Ibrahim: The Ignored Pandemic: 360 Million Christians Persecuted Worldwide Amir Taheri: Putin's Game between Friend and Foe The Ignored Pandemic: 360 Million Christians Persecuted Worldwide by Raymond Ibrahim  •  February 13, 2022 at 5:00 am       "When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they tried to appear moderate—but there's no sign that Christianity will be anything other than a death sentence." — World Watch List-2022. "The persecution of Christians in India has intensified, as Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence. The extremists disregard Indian Christians and other religious minorities as true Indians, and think the country should be purified of non-Hindus....." — World Watch List-2022. "The COVID-19 pandemic has offered a new weapon to persecutors. In some areas, Christians have been deliberately overlooked in the local distribution of government aid and have even been accused of spreading the virus." — World Watch List-2022. In Qatar, "Violence against Christians rose sharply ...." — World Watch List-2022. In Bangladesh (#29), local authorities told Muslim converts to Christianity who, like their Muslim counterparts, sought governmental aid, "to return to Islam or receive nothing." In the Central African Republic, which was "hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic ... Christians were denied government aid and told to convert to Islam if they wanted to eat." Another notable trend concerns the growing number of internally or externally displaced people — 84 million: "a significant number [of whom] are Christians fleeing religious persecution." [A]t least a quarter, though arguably much more, of all hate crimes registered in Europe in 2020 were anti-Christian — representing a 70% increase compared to 2019. [I]t is telling that the European nations suffering the most also happen to have Europe's largest Muslim populations — namely, Germany (where anti-Christian hate crimes have more than doubled since 2019) and France (where two churches are reportedly attacked every single day, some, as in the Muslim world, with human feces). In short, the persecution of Christians, which was already horrific, has increased by nearly 70% over the last five years, with no signs of abating. How long will it be before this seemingly irreversible trend metastasizes into those nations currently celebrated for their religious freedom? The year 2021 "saw the worst persecution of Christians in history" — with an average of 16 Christians murdered for their faith every day. The persecution of Christians, which was already horrific, has increased by nearly 70% over the last five years, with no signs of abating. (Image source: iStock) The year 2021 "saw the worst persecution of Christians in history" — with an average of 16 Christians murdered for their faith every day. That observation comes from the World Watch List-2022 (WWL-2022), recently published by the international humanitarian organization, Open Doors. The report each year ranks the top 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted for their faith. The WWL uses data from field workers and external experts to quantify and analyze persecution worldwide. According to the WWL-2022, covering October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021: "over 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith—a rise of 20 million from last year. The number represents one in seven Christians worldwide. This year records the highest levels of persecution since the first list was published 29 years ago..." Continue Reading Article Putin's Game between Friend and Foe by Amir Taheri  •  February 13, 2022 at 4:00 am       More importantly, perhaps, does Putin's Beijing pirouette represent a radical shift of Russia attitude towards China -- something that could lead to the emergence of what Thomas Fichy and Jean-Marie Holzinger in their 2013 book, called "A New Mongol Empire" led by China with Russia as its bridgehead to Europe and Iran as its Trojan horse in the Middle East. The other day in Moscow, he [Putin] told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia is "concerned about European security" when it is Russia that has assembled a war machine with 120,000 men poised for invading Ukraine. He also told Macron that Europe needs a framework for ensuring its security. But such a framework already exists in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of which Russia is a founding member, and not to mention the Helsinki Accords. Putin's other claim, that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a potential threat to Russia, is equally hard to sustain. NATO did nothing when Putin invaded and snatched territory from Georgia and Ukraine, and when he militarily intervened in Syria to obtain an aero-naval base on the Mediterranean. Three other points: First, Russia already has a partnership accord with NATO that, if used effectively, could iron out all discord through consultation and compromise. Next, NATO members account for almost 70% of all direct-foreign investment in the Russian economy and provide 80% of the market for Russian energy exports. Last year, Russia was the largest exporter of crude oil to the United States. Finally, the bulk of Russia's foreign currency reserves are lodged in banks and financial instructions located in NATO countries. Whatever the case, the most prudent thing to do is not to dance to his tune.... The other day in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia is "concerned about European security" when it is Russia that has assembled a war machine with 120,000 men poised for invading Ukraine. Pictured: Putin (R) and Macron attend a joint press conference in Moscow, on February 8, 2022. (Photo by Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) In his lightning trip to Beijing on February 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a "Strategic Partnership" treaty with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The event coincided with the 20th anniversary of another "Strategic Partnership" deal that he had signed in 2002, with then US President George W Bush. So, did the Beijing signature represent a reversal of course in Russian foreign policy that, since Russia's admission into the G7 club (later G8), had been focused on forging closer ties with the United States? Putin's recent behavior, notably his efforts to portray the United States as a barrier to Russia's global ambitions, may indicate such a development. More significantly, what may be seen as Putin's Ostpolitik comes at a time that China is flexing its muscles against the United States in a good chunk of the Asia-Pacific region. Finally, Putin may see Xi's saber-ratting over Taiwan as echoing what he himself is doing over Ukraine. Continue Reading Article