As part of its efforts to combat world poverty, the United Kingdom reportedly donates £2.7 billion ($4.2 billion) in financial assistance annually to countries where Christians face extreme prosecution, including Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan.

According to The Telegraph, countries on the watch list for places where it is most difficult to live as Christians got the amount from the UK's Department for International Development (DfID) and official agencies.

Somalia, second on the watch list, got £107.3 million in aid from the UK while Iraq got £7 million in 2013, the most recent full year for which official figures are available.

Pakistan received £34 million and Turkmenistan got over £500,000.

"Britain's commitment to aid is praiseworthy, but we must make sure that it is directed properly to the right people in the right way," said Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester who is now president of Oxtrad, a charity which supports churches facing persecution.

He added, "I think we have to target it very carefully and where there is real need to make sure that aid is not being used simply to support British business or other interests and certainly to make sure that it is not being used to sustain corruption."

Aid to Pakistan, where the UK has an educational programme, is "fine," Ali said, because that country needs educational assistance. "But the question is, will the programme, for example, assist in the revision of the teaching of hate in the textbooks or will it be used simply to further it? Will it be used to reform the madrassas to broaden their curriculum and bring it up to date with modern times?" he asked.

Ali said the UK government should provide more resources to protecting Christians who flee ISIS in Iraq and Syria through aid budget or military means.

According to David Curry, president of Open Doors USA, religious choice and freedom of expression should be used as standards by governments when giving out foreign aid.

"There is a responsibility for free societies to use their foreign aid to encourage religious freedom," he said.  "I think that would be true of the UK and the US, which give billions of dollars in foreign aid to countries which are persecuting Christians and subjugating religious minorities."

Conservative MP Philip Davies said, "Many people will rightly be asking what is the purpose of aid money and why are we dolling out large amounts of cash to brutal regimes who show a complete disregard towards basic human rights?"

He said over half of the 136 countries the UK gave money in 2013 oppress citizens based on religion or sexuality.