Bridge of Grace

For the year 2023 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) designated Pakistan as a "Country of Particular Concern," which is the worst rating when it comes to violations of religious freedom.  The problems that Pakistan faces in regards to religious freedom are not new ones, the problems are the same as they have been for years: a blend of state-sanctioned religious discrimination coupled with long-standing societal persecution.   As of today, Christians account for between 1.5-2% of the Pakistani population, though the number may be higher as ongoing persecution leads many Christian converts from Islam to hide their faith.  Many Christians have fallen victim to Pakistan's infamous Blasphemy Laws, which invoke serious prison sentences, and in some cases, the death penalty, for any who blaspheme the Islamic faith.  Human rights activists complained that for decades, these laws have been abused and used by individuals to settle personal scor

In a recent post on Twitter, Esra Erdogan, the daughter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, stated that "There is Little Left for the Islamic Crescent to Break the Western Cross."  The tweet, posted in Arabic, is a chilling reminder of the ongoing war that Jihad has waged on the Cross for many centuries.  Over the centuries, Jihadists have continually sought to destroy the cross, whether in churches, in cemeteries, or Christians in general, as a reflection of their distain for the teachings of the Gospel that attest to the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, that he was killed on the cross for our sins and raised from the dead to show he has conquered death, all of these are central tenants of the Christian faith that Islamic doctrine firmly rejects.   The campaign of "Breaking the Cross" has never stopped in the Islamic world.  It is still going on in this day and age, as it was shown on the cover of Dabiq, the magazine published by the infamous terrorist group ISIS.