A few weeks ago, when people in the West were getting all giddy about the overthrow of tyrants in the Middle East, I was as sceptical as ever and warned that things could turn ugly. Sadly I think those of us who counselled caution have been proved correct. It was obvious in my view so I'm not trying to make myself look like some kind of visionary.
As soon as the shackles of dictatorship are cut from the people a vacuum is created. The big question is who fills that vacuum? My belief was that it would be various shades of Islam, from relatively moderate to fundamentalist, and I was shocked at the time how many people scoffed and seemed naively convinced that in two ticks Western style liberal democracies would be the norm from Cairo to Algiers.
Maybe people will be a little more realistic now that reports are appearning ever more frequently of sectarian violence breaking out in Egypt and Christian churches being torched, not just in Egypt but elsewhere too. I fear that we are only at the beginning of what could be a very uncomfortable few decades.
Contrast that with the news of christianity booming in Russia following the fall of communism, as reported on the excellent eChurch Blog. Who knows, we may yet need Russia as a valuable ally again in the future, and it's good to see that even decades of communist oppression couldn't kill the belief of the Russian people.
For information about the persecution of Christians throughout the world please visit: PERSECUTION.ORG
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