If I were still in contact with Soraya, I'd want to ask her opinion of the increasingly violent attacks on Christians in the Muslim world. Tragically, there'd be so much to discuss.
I'd ask about the 44 church members, two priests and seven police officers who were slaughtered when Islamic jihadists burst into a church in Baghdad on Oct. 31 and tossed grenades.
I'd ask about the massacres in Nigeria, where 86 people were killed at Christmas Eve services, including choir members hacked to death with machetes.
I'd ask about the 23 parishioners incinerated in a suicide bomb attack in Alexandria, Egypt, at a New Year's Day celebration Mass.
And these are just the recent ones, the stories that actually made the headlines. There are hundreds of other attacks, directly attributable to Islamist extremists who persecute Christians daily in the name of "the religion of peace." (You can read about them at thereligionofpeace.com/
Pages/ChristianAttacks.htm.
True, these are extreme examples of religious intolerance. But it never ceases to amaze me how sensitive some Americans are to the perceived encroachment on our own religious liberties (Christmas Village at City Hall? Call the multiculti cops!) yet turn a blind eye to real persecution, the kind that ends up with bloodied bodies, not allegedly bruised feelings.
Having practiced immigration law for more than 15 years, I know a lot about religious fanatics.
Maronite Christian "Pierre" taught me that criticizing Islam in Lebanon can get you electrocuted. Bah'ai "Adeena" showed me that following her faith in Iran means worshipping underground.
Coptic Christian "Isan" made me see that religious pluralism in Egypt is a myth. Assyrian "Abdul" told me that the only choice Iraqi Christians have is to either convert to Islam, or be killed.
