Religious displays in the public square across Europe might soon be a thing of the past, Cristina Odone warns in The Telegraph.
The former Catholic Herald editor says that in spite of people being persecuted all over the world for their faith, many countries are not doing anything about it. Instead, these "civilised" countries have "created an atmosphere where the person of faith finds themselves pushed into an intolerable place".
She shared a recent poll conducted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) which showed that more than half (58 per cent) of the 250,000 Jews in Britain do not see a future for themselves in the country, while over 100,000 Jews have already left France.
A separate poll by YouGov also revealed that one out of four Brits view Jews as people who "chase money more than other people."
2014 saw an increase in anti-Semitic attacks, with 229 antisemitic offences in London between April 1 2014 and October 31 2014, compared to just 97 offences during the same period last year, The Telegraph reports.
But Odone said that Jews are not the only ones suffering from prejudice or judgment.
"In some parts of the world, wearing the label 'Christian' also carries a death sentence. Whether executed for the crime of apostasy in Pakistan, or attacked as 'kefirs' (infidels) in Mosul, in northern Iraq, Christians are forced to die for their faith in parts of the Middle East," she said.
"Nor are Muslims spared the persecution the other Abrahamic religions suffer: in western China and episodically in India, public allegiance to Islam is punishable by death."
She predicted that inaction on hostility towards faiths and the rise of extremism, combined with growing religious illiteracy, could soon result in a No God Zone in Europe and that any religious public displays will soon be banned.
"If we don't act fast to protect outward signs of observance, then religion will be purged completely from public life in the West," she said.
"We must protect outward signs of religious observance. The sacred should be protected, but ignorance should be crushed.
"Believers will have to hide their precious religious symbols, and conceal their rites. Like the early Christians in the catacombs, they will lead lives in the shadow."
