A newly-launched Facebook campaign called My Treedom celebrates freedom from religious persecution and the right to observe Christmas around the world by posting daily photographs of Christmas trees and holiday decorations from some of the hardest places to live and practice as a Christian.
Launched by foreign affairs journalist Lisa Daftari, the project asks followers to send in their photos in a global sign of solidarity. Daftari is an investigative journalist focusing on foreign affairs with expertise in the Middle East and counterterrorism. She has covered human rights issues over the past decade.
Current pictures include public Christmas tree in the Daraa district of Syria; some photos are from Pakistan. Other photos demonstrate Christians secretly celebrating in underground churches and homes.
Did you know more than 1.5 million Christians live in Saudi Arabia?
The response has been overwhelming and heartwarming, Daftari told Breitbart on Friday. She said she was shocked at some of the photos coming in from places such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Somalia.
Faces of many of the people in the photos are blurred for protection.
Here's from a restaurant in Lahore, Pakistan.
"The goal is to raise awareness about the increased threat of global Christian persecution that is often missing from political headlines these days," Daftari said in a Christian Newswire article.
"We are talking about countries where Christians made up a sizeable and significant segment of the native population. Many have had to flee their countries or face brutal persecution, solely because of their faith," she said.
Every month, 322 Christians are killed for their faith and 214 churches and property belonging to Christians are destroyed, stated Christian Newswire. The article cites: "The State Department cites that Christians in 60-plus countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors, with the 10 worst nations listed as North Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, Eritrea and Nigeria in a report conducted by Open Doors."
Previously, some Christians were allowed to practice their religion by paying a minority tax, or Jizzya, but more recently, most are forced to convert or threatened with death.
Photos of support may be emailed to: MyTreedom@gmail.com
Daftari's first post on Dec. 3 reads: "Welcome to #MyTreedom, where we celebrate the freedom to celebrate. This page is for all, in far and near corners of the world, who have every right to believe, pray and celebrate freely. We will post Christmas trees and holiday decorations from around the globe, where religion is tolerated, and where it, unfortunately, is not. From Raqqa to Richmond, from Mogadishu to Minnesota, let this holiday season bring more peace, safety and tolerance to every place and every home."
