United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, chair Leonard Leo was interviewed tonight re religious freedom in the Middle East on The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.

I heard the final minutes only, on EWTN Radio and hope to catch the full interview when it is rebroadcast. From the little I heard I would certainly recommend catching it when it comes on again.

Encore broadcasts of this on Friday 1 AM ET, Sunday 4 PM ET, Monday 10 AM ET & 10 PM ET.

I find that this interview is available on You tube. The section begins at 26:10, simply slide the slider forward to that time.

They talk about the blasphemy laws which led to the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti two days ago, and the failure of the governments of Egypt and Iraq, the two countries they focus on, to provide protection and justice for Christians. Leonard points out that it's not only the Christians being murdered under these blasphemy laws but also minority and majority Muslims and others, and that this has been the case for a long time.

The interview is extensive, lasting 15 minutes.

Footage of the final interview given by Shahbaz Bhatti is also included in the segment. May his memory be eternal.

I have heard an interview or two where George W Bush was asked about the persecution of Christians in Iraq, the pogroms against them in Pakistan, etc. His response amounted to "Oh well." It seems clear the US State Dept. and George Soros' NGOs, for whatever reason, are working hand in hand with Islamists revolutionaries to destabilize the Mideast. Thus, persecution of Christians and "conversion by the sword" is the way of the future. True, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, neo-dhimmitude gives Christians limited protections, but the spectre of a new movement of the red fez shall soon be witnessed upon the world.

The Coptic church, up until fairly recently, was growing throughout Africa with a membership of at least 30 millions, even considering the separation of the Ethiopian (and Eritrean) churches from their omophorion.

What can be done short of the patronage of a Christian super power? Prayer crusades for the persecuted Christians of the Mideast.

The assault against Christianity in the Moslem world is beginning to rival the Bolsheviks persecutions of the Church.

Sadly, when one examines Islam in its various incarnations what becomes clear is that it is indeed a unitarian Christian heresy, much more "Christian" than our own native North American Mormons. One need not mention that Mohammed's first confederates were Nestorians and Arians on the outskirts of the Empire who later accepted his religious movement as their own. His primary religious teacher was a Nestorian monk.