If Christians Aren't the Most Persecuted, They're Number Two with a Bullet

I believe our friends the Jews still hold the pole position in the "Most Persecuted Religion" rankings (I can't even remember the last time a Syrian rocket landed in my swimming pool), but Christians are coming on strong. So strong, in fact, that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is talking about it:

Opposition MPs have criticised the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for claiming that Christianity is “the most persecuted religion worldwide”. 

Merkel’s comments came at a meeting of the German Protestant Church late Monday in which she emphasized Germany’s needed to protect Christian minorities as part of its foreign policy. 

Merkel, the daughter of a pastor, also spoke out against strict separation of church and state and said Europe was built on Christian foundations.

(Via The Times of Israel, via Walter Russel Mead)

Of course, there are reasons why Merkel might not want to bring up the whole Jewish persecution thing, but she's definitely got a point.