[Wall Street Journal] Daniel Henninger - In Turkey President Obama spoke of seeking engagement with Islam based on "mutual respect." In reality, however, the experience of Arab Christians living now amid majority Islamic populations is often repression, arrest, imprisonment and death. Coptic Christians in Egypt have been singled out for discrimination and persecution. Muslim rioters often burn or vandalize their churches and shops. In 1995, the Saudis were allowed to build a mosque in Rome near the Vatican, but never reciprocated with a Christian church in their country. Saudi Arabia even forbids private worship at home for some one million Christian migrant workers. Mr. Obama should make formalized tolerance of Christian sects in the Middle East the basis for arriving at what he called "common ground" with Islam.
2009-04-10 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive