In his address Freedom of Belief and the Persecution of Christians and Others, each of the world's major religions, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, have a history of freedom and tolerance, but this is now all but abandoned. The Roman Empire in 313AD issued the Edict of Milan which granted tolerance and religious freedom to Christians. The Constitution of Medina in 622AD guaranteed that non-Muslins living Islamic communities would be afforded the same rights and protections as Muslims

Nazir-Ali sees this abandonment having emerged due to three reasons. First there is tyranny; the cruelty and oppression of government. This can be seen by the situation in Syria where the conflict is fueled more by politics than religion.

Secondly, are the ideological clashes as exemplified in China and Vietnam where governments are concerned over Roman Catholics being influenced by the authority of the Pope? They fear such influence will undermine the state. In India the Hindutva believe that all Indians should be Hindu much in the way Hitler taught that all true Germans should be National Socialist.

Thirdly Islam has been resurgent over the last fifty years in its attempt to engage the modern world. It is doing so by looking back to the 7th Century as the model for its political and economic system. It is hostile to the West in general, and Israel and Christianity in particular. Christians are not just persecuted but regularly tortured, and even burned alive.

Much of the conflict between Christianity and Islam is the results of both being missionary faiths with diametrically opposed world views. Moslems purport that power is derived through force but Christians believe that power is gained through giving it away.

Nazir-Ali believes that the West will need to become more familiar with the cultural mindset of the Islamic world. He cites as an example the current crisis in Syria where there are no moderates. The choice is between the lesser of evils. As bad as the current President Bashar al Assad may be there exist more tolerance under his leadership than can be found in the alternatives.

In Damascus, Syria Christian churches are open and full while women are allowed to dress as they choose. As long as the government is not openly challenged personal freedoms are allowed. He thinks, however, that eventually Islamic countries will need to develop a Bill of Rights for common citizenship which will allow non-Muslins to no longer be treated as second class citizens.

In the ISIS occupied areas of Syria there are regular executions of anyone suspected of non-conformity. Their fighters hide among schools and hospitals and steal United Nations aid meant for the local populations in order to finance weapons purchases.

Nazir-Ali is candid to having originally been supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and for the toppling of Saddam Hussein. However, he now believes the rejection of the Muslim Brotherhood by the people of Egypt was the right move but is more ambivalent about Hussein. Like the 1979 overthrow of the Shah of Iran he notes the results have been a mixed bag. Iraq is now in chaos and the Shah was replaced by a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy which has destabilized the region

He recently returned from Aleppo Syria where he viewed the destruction. And while quick to admit there can be no suggestion that Christian persecution in the West compares to that experienced in such areas he does see reason for concern.

Western democracies must continually remain diligent for the Respect of Conscious and Freedom of Belief which is constantly under attack and being eroded. In the United Kingdom health care workers such as nuns were once allowed to opt out of participation in abortions due to religious beliefs. Today they can only be exempted from the direct procedure but not for any procedure preparation. This opens all types of doors regarding euthanasia and other issues of moral conscious.

He also warns that hate speech legislation can easily be manipulated into a way of inhibiting the practice of faith. This can lead to thought police where under the guise of protecting others democracy becomes the tyranny of the majority.

If Bishop Nazir-Ali's perceptions are accurate Freedom of Belief may be the one thing that may someday unite all persons of faith.

Ladson F. Mills III is a priest with over thirty years pastoral experience. He is retired and lives with his wife in South Carolina. He currently serves as Scholar-in-Residence at Church of Our Saviour, Johns Island. He is a regular contributor to Virtueonline