Baptist Press reports Americans view Islam as a threat to their own nation’s religious liberty almost as strongly as they consider it a danger to religious freedom internationally.

Although most persecution occurs overseas, 39% of American adults say Islam threatens religious freedom in the U.S. — almost as many as the 40% who see Islam as a global threat, a survey by Nashville-based LifeWay Research finds.

“Most recent headlines regarding Islam don’t paint a picture of religious freedom, so we should not be surprised by the strong minority that consider Islam a threat to religious freedom,” Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, said.

“However, it is worth noting less Americans see Islam as a threat to religious freedom than do not. What’s of particular interest to me is not people’s concern about international religious liberty — which I would expect — but that 40% of Americans see Islam as a threat to religious liberty in the United States.”

A slim majority, 52%, believes U.S. religious liberties are not at risk because of Islam.

Religious liberty has been widely discussed recently, but social policy, not Islam, has been the focus of recent religious freedom disputes in the United States. Courts have weighed religious freedom arguments in deciding whether to permit same-sex marriage, allow businesses to turn away gay customers, and require employers to pay for birth control.

On a global scale, Americans are unsettled about the influence of Islam. While 47% think it doesn’t endanger religious freedom internationally, almost as many — 40% — believe it does, and 13% are unsure.

Researchers asked 1,000 Americans about their views in a phone survey Sept. 19-28, 2014. Earlier that month, the Islamic militant group ISIS released videos of beheadings of two Americans, prompting President Obama to tell the public the extremist group also known as ISIL is not Islamic. But LifeWay Research found at the time that 48% disagreed with the president’s statement while 3 in 10 were unsure.

Religious restrictions on the rise

Global concern about religious freedom is widespread and data shows such concern to be warranted. For example, Pew Research shows more than three-fourths of the world’s people live in countries with high religious restrictions, up from about two-thirds in 2007.

In the United States, restrictions are moderate but increasing, according to Pew. Pew’s measurement of hostile acts involving religion in America climbed 63% from 2007 to 2013, and its accounting of government restrictions on religion nearly doubled.

Americans perceive the effects, according to previous LifeWay research. More than half of Americans and 70% of Protestant senior pastors say religious liberty is on the decline.

Women are particularly concerned about the potential impact of Islam, with 44% viewing it as a risk to American religious freedom, compared to 34% of men. A similar gender divide emerged in previously released LifeWay research about Sharia law, with more women than men worrying America could come under the Islamic legal and moral code that limits women’s rights.

Young adults, Hispanics see less threat

America’s young adults are much less likely than their parents and grandparents to perceive Islam as a threat to religious freedom. Less than a third of 18- to 44-year-olds hold that view (31% internationally, 30% in the U.S.), compared to nearly half of those 45 and older (49% internationally, 48% in the U.S.). Previously released research found young Americans are less worried than their elders about Sharia law and more likely to say Islam can create a peaceful society.

Hispanics also have less concern about Islam’s threat to religious liberty in the United States (31%) or abroad (29%). In contrast, whites are more likely to believe Islam is a danger to religious freedom internationally (44%) and in the United States (41%).

LifeWay Research found differences along geographic lines as well, with southerners more likely to view Islam as a risk to religious freedom than those in the West or Northeast.

Evangelical Christians are the most likely to perceive Islam as a threat. The majority of evangelicals see Islam as a danger to religious freedom both domestically (55%) and globally (53%).

In contrast, 31% of Catholics, 34% of people from non-Christian religions and 22% of the nonreligious see Islam as a threat to religious freedom in the United States. Internationally, Catholics perceive significantly greater risk at 38%, while the difference in opinion is slight for those from non-Christian religions (35%) and the nonreligious (23%). Protestants view U.S. and global risks equally at 48%.

Overall among Christians, 45% say Islam is a threat to religious liberty internationally and 43% say it is a threat to religious freedom in America.

“Most religious people desire that other people believe — even convert to — their religion, but how a religion’s followers treat those who choose another belief differs greatly,” Stetzer said. “A large minority of Americans are concerned with how the religion of Islam is treating people with different religious views.”

Methodology: the phone survey of Americans was conducted Sept. 19-28, 2014. The calling utilized random digit dialing. 60% of completes were among landlines and 40% among cell phones. Maximum quotas and slight weights were used for gender, region, age, ethnicity and education to more accurately reflect the population. The completed sample is 1,000 surveys. The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 3.4%. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

Those labeled evangelicals consider themselves “a born again, evangelical, or fundamentalist Christian.” Those labeled Christian include those whose religious preference is Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or Nondenominational Christian.

Nonreligious are those whose religious preference is Atheist, Agnostic, or No Preference.

The head of the Southern Baptist Convention's religious freedom entity hailed passage of the "forward-thinking legislation" as the "right thing."

In a Sept. 18 roll call, House members voted 402-22 for the legislation, which would direct the president to name an envoy within the State Department to advance freedom for religious minorities in the Near East–also referred to as the Middle East–and South-Central Asia. The Senate has yet to act on the measure.

A two-fold reason undergirds Christian support of such legislation, said Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

"Jesus told Saul of Tarsus that his intended persecution of Christians in Syria was persecution of Jesus Himself. That's one of the reasons the body of Christ must stand firm against the torture and harassment of believing communities in the Middle East and elsewhere," Moore said in a statement to Baptist Press.

"Moreover, as Baptist Christians, we believe in religious freedom and liberty of conscience for all persons, not just for Christians and not just for Americans with First Amendment guarantees," he said. "Religious liberty is a natural right, given by God, and grounded in human dignity."

Rep. Frank Wolf, R.-Va., whom Moore called "heroic," is lead sponsor of the bill, which the ERLC and a variety of other organizations have endorsed. Wolf also led in passage of a similar measure in 2011, when the House approved it by an almost identical vote, 402-20. The Senate–with the State Department leading the opposition, Wolf said–failed to vote on that bill.

All "no" votes in 2011 came from Republicans, and this year Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas joined 21 GOP members in opposing the legislation.

Individual Christians and adherents of other religious faiths are targets of repression and violence in countries in both regions, and the existence of entire religious movements is threatened in some areas–most notably Egypt and Iraq. Among its duties, a special envoy would monitor religious freedom conditions in the regions and recommend responses by Washington to violations of religious rights.

The bill mandates the special envoy will prioritize activities in five countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.

Wolf told his fellow House members before the vote he is convinced that "religious minorities in the Middle East and in key countries in South-Central Asia–such as Pakistan and Afghanistan–need someone who can be their voice both within the halls of [the State Department] and abroad with foreign governments."

Wolf called the Obama administration's opposition "short-sighted and, frankly, indefensible."

Among examples of the results of oppression and persecution toward religious adherents cited by Wolf or the legislation's text are:

— In Iraq, a drop since 2003 of Christians from 1.4 million to about 500,000 and of churches from more than 300 to about 60 produced by a mass exodus in the face of violence.

— In Iraq and Egypt, declines by the tens of thousands in the Jewish population.

— Also in Egypt, the reported flight of some of the country's 8 million to 10 million Coptic Christians who are the targets of threats and violence at the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood.

— In Iran, the arrest of more than 500 Baha'is since 2005 and the continuing imprisonment of about 100 adherents of the religion.

— Also in Iran, the arrest and detention of Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen. Prayer vigils involving more than 620,000 people in 70 U.S. cities will mark the Sept. 26 one-year anniversary of Saeed’s imprisonment, the American Center for Law and Justice reported.

— In Pakistan, violence against Ahmadi Muslims, an Islamic sect not recognized by the country's laws, and the death sentence for a Christian mother of five charged with blasphemy.

— In Syria, the vulnerability of Christians and other religious minorities amid a civil war that is more than 2 years old.

Rep. Anna Eshoo of California is the lead Democratic sponsor for the bill, H.R. 301.

(Story by Tom Strode. Used with permission from Baptist Press)

Camerade's home in New Dorp Beach and his small engine repair shop next door were severely damaged by flooding. After losing almost everything he had built over a lifetime, the recent retiree says his cries to God were answered when Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) collegiate volunteers helped him clean up his properties and spent time with him to lift his spirits.

"These kids did more work in two days than I could have done in two months," Camerade said. "It's amazing that they would take their spring break to come and help us."

Students from Resonate Church in Moscow, Idaho, and from Pullman, Wash., worked with Camerade for two days cleaning up and moving hundreds of damaged lawn mowers, weed eaters, snow plows, and other small engines that flood waters ruined. Camerade hopes to sell the damaged machines as scrap metal.

This group is one of seven student teams from states across the nation who are taking part in the SBC Collegiate Spring Break's recovery response to Staten Island this week. The project is being coordinated by the North American Mission Board.

Resonate Church student Jessica McGettigan, who is 18 and on her first mission trip, said Camerade's attitude was encouraging to her and inspired the whole team.

"He's lost so much, but he kept his faith," she said.

Bringing hope to residents who often feel forgotten after a disaster is what this team and other collegiate volunteers are doing through the middle of April.

Students were working on mud-outs, mold remediation, tear-outs, clean-up and yard debris removal. They are also installing insulation and hanging sheet rock.

Judy Cape, NAMB events/logistics specialist, said on March 13, 136 students, staff and local student volunteers were working. The students come from Washington, Idaho, Virginia, Kentucky, Texas, and Ohio.

"The students are willing to work and to do what needs to be done," Cape said of the students' whatever-it-takes attitude.

Recovery jobs coordinator Marvin Corbin, a SBDR volunteer from Ocala, Fla., watched the students each day get up at 5:30 a.m. and work a hard, long day on sites, sometimes in the rain.

"It restores your faith in the youth of today," he said.

Texas A&M graduate student Joe Terrell, 22, who helped insulate a home, admitted it's hard work, but it's rewarding for him because he likes serving and seeing the progress made on a project.

"You see a house gutted and walk out and can almost begin to see a home," he says.

Eighteen-year-old Angeliccaa Williams came on her first mission trip with the BCM of University of the Cumberlands of Williamsbury, KY. Williams said she felt led to serve and has seen things she's never experienced. Her team worked on a mud-out for three days in a home in Midland Beach.

"The house was just floors, beams, and a roof when we walked in. There was nothing inside," she said.

The group met the homeowner: a mother with two teenaged daughters. Williams said it was emotionally hard for her.

"The woman almost cried before we lifted a finger," Williams said.

The appreciation from the community has been felt, said NAMB spring break project coordinator Bruce Poss.

"They didn't know much about Southern Baptists, but now they do," Poss said.

NAMB is planning a two-year presence for the area's recovery, Poss said.

Kobie Jones, 21, with Central Baptist of College Station, Texas, said he wasn't expecting such positive feedback from homeowners.

"They were so happy to see us, and it makes all the work worth it."

Kelsey Dickson, 21, also from Central Baptist, said although she had seen all the news coverage about the storm's destruction, it was the first time for her to see such loss.

"To see all of their possessions in a pile makes me wonder how anyone, especially non-believers, can go through this and have any hope left," she said. "Our job as Christians is to build up others when they can't help themselves, and to show the love of Christ. The act itself is to glorify God in the end."

From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, GA, NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the Southern Baptist Convention's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs.

SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or contribute to NAMB's disaster relief fund via namb.net/disaster-relief-donations.

Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262), or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief."

According to Reuters, the bomb killed a top Lebanese security official. This official was connected to an investigation that implicated Syria in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. He also was involved in the arrest of a pro-Syrian politician in Beirut several weeks ago.

The bombing, which was the bloodiest incident in Lebanon's capitol since 2008, destroyed cars, damaged buildings, and left a large crater near Sassine Square. Syrian officials reportedly condemned the attack saying it was an act of terrorism and called it "cowardly." Baptist Press reports indicate fear that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad–the current president of Syria–wants to create conflict in Lebanon to move the focus from Syria.

The attack happened in a Christian neighborhood. The Southern Baptist International Mission Board quotes a Christian worker in Lebanon who summarized his concerns this way: "Pray that it wouldn't escalate into further violence. It's easy in this kind of situation for people to jump to conclusions and assume they know who did it and why. Things have been tense already." There are already people protesting the attack by blocking roads and gunfire.

The ministry is asking for prayer that people would be open to Jesus and seek out the real source of security.

Christian workers in Lebanon are praying that the truth comes out and that innocent people won't be targets. Fear can drive people to irrational action. Please pray with them. Pray that these workers would be part of the reconciliation and healing in the region.

Pray that innocent people won't be targeted as part of a revenge cycle. "We want justice to be done, but not at the expense of a true expression of biblical grace. They go hand-in-hand."

The Baptist Press reports that Southern Baptist volunteers have been assisting the elderly and infirm in Vidalia, Louisiana, by transporting their valuables across the river to Natchez, Mississippi in preparation for what may be to come.

Community leaders are reportedly confident that levees will hold, despite the high waters. "I see no problems with our levee system functioning as it's supposed to," Reynold Minsky, president of the Fifth District Levee Board and a deacon at First Baptist Church in Lake Providence, Louisiana, told Baptist Press. "We're going to have a three-foot clearance," Minsky said, referring to floodwater levels at the district's 257 miles of levees that haven't been seen since the 1930's.

Leaders admit that the levee in Vidalia has never been tested beyond 58 feet, and at the 50-foot mark, the Army Corps of Engineers cannot be certain it will hold. They are confident it will, however.

Minsky and others agree that the rumors surrounding the potential for devastation are possibly worse for the community than the actual flooding will be. Churches leaders are thus encouraging people not to panic. They are also telling people to be prepared nonetheless.

The possibility of disaster, though impending, has actually served as an opportunity for community. "This [possibility of flooding] has unified a community that needed to be unified," Bill McCullin, pastor of First Baptist Church of Vidalia, told Baptist Press. "People are thinking about each other. Even though we're at the early stages of this, we can still see God at work."

Once flooding hits, it will take four to six weeks for the water to go down, McCullin says. A long road may lie ahead. But as communities bind together, this could be an opportunity for the love of Christ to go out in unprecedented ways. Pray that believers in this region so ripe with potential for disaster would take courage in the Lord and would reach out to their neighbors as the hands and feet of Christ.

Pray that those who are already receiving help from Southern Baptists would see Christ's love shining through their aid, and come to Him.