1. Syrian Church Attacked Yet Again

As a half Syrian, seeing my people being attacked yet again in a sacred place of worship hurts terribly. You go to church to feel a connection with God and to feel safe but again and again that safety has been invaded and destroyed by the Islamic State which has actually claimed and advertised the fact that they are the ones to blame all over their online platform. 12 Christians were horribly injured from the attack and the beautiful church, Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary, was mostly destroyed, leaving Christians all over the city of Al- Wasti feeling unsafe and unprotected.

2. Iraqi Christian Genocide

The Iraqi government has been attacking Christians for years to the point where Christian Iraqis are starting to slowly become extinct in their own home country. So many different Christians including some of my closest family friends, have been fleeing their homes over time due to the Islamic government trying to eliminate the Christian religion as a whole. The three largest groups of Christians in Iraq, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Jacobites, have had their churches and cathedrals completely destroyed to the ground, they've been kicked out of their homes, brutally murdered, taken away from their families, and even been forced to convert in order to stay alive and safe at home.

3. Turkish Church Hagia Sophia Turned into a Mosque

While I could go on and on about how the Turkish government has managed to not only attack the Christians in its own country but Christians in other Middle Eastern countries, I’d like to focus on one of the saddest and most disrespectful moments for Christians in the year 2020, when Hagia Sophia, an Orthodox Christian monastery was reopened as a mosque. Muslim Turks have barely allowed us Christians to breath freely back home and the one thing we had left in Turkey, a holy building that was built on December 25th 537 AD, was immediately turned into a mosque when the government got their hands on it.

4. Armenian Christian Genocide

It’s no secret that Armenian Christians have never gotten the best treatment in their country. And to make matters worse, Turkey claims that they want to continue the Christian genocide in Armenia till this day! After years of the Turks denying Armenians food and water while forcing them to march through the Syrian desert which led to starvation and death by multiple diseases, Armenians still get absolutely no peace or safety all because of their religion. Armenians have been tortured for far too long and it is up to us to show people the prejudice that they continue to face.

5. Palestinian Christians Attacked by Israeli Soldiers During Palm Sunday

Palestine and Israel have had problems for years, problems which only seem to be getting worse. One of those issues is the way that Israelis will do anything to see Palestinians of any religion fall. One of the least talked about events of 2021 is when Israelis soldiers decided to attack a Christian church on Palm Sunday when they caught the people carrying Palestinian flags and protesting for the freedom of their land while praying. Israelis have also refused to allow any Palestinian Christians to visit Bethlehem, a sacred place to us Christians, all because they do not allow the Israeli government to attack their people.

6. Saudi Arabian Laws Against Christians

Saudi Arabia is one of the Middle Eastern countries known for its horrible strict laws against anyone who does not follow the Islamic religion and their beliefs. I’ve known Christians who had to completely blend in while in the country by covering up every inch of their body and hiding away all of their Bibles and crosses, and praying in secret so they don't get arrested. One of the moments that showed the world how Christians are treated is when Fayza Almtery had to wait till she moved to Canada so she could convert to Christianity because she knew that the government would have immediately murdered her for her change of faith.

7. ISIS Beheads 21 Egyptian Christians

A horrific video of 21 Christian Egyptian men being tortured and beheaded by ISIS in Libya went viral all over the news and the internet leaving millions of people terrified of what might happen next if more people didn’t convert or flee their home countries for their own safety. These men were kidnapped from their homes, dressed in orange jumpsuits, and were made to walk down and kneel on the beach in front of their murderers where they were each beheaded. These men’s family members had to watch as their own flesh and blood was being killed and their heads and bodies were advertised as another win for ISIS.