If extremist Christians were slaughtering Muslims around the world today, the airwaves, the Internet and the publishing world would be filled with outrage at the horror.
When more and more Christians are being killed in the Middle East and in Africa by extremist Muslims today, where is the outrage?
The pope has had a little bit to say, the United Nations has been largely mum and President Obama has paid bare lip service to individual incidents.
Boko Haram slaughtered scores in Africa. Terrorists stormed a university in Garissa, Kenya, over Easter weekend, separated the Muslims from the Christians and killed nearly 150 students. On Sunday, the Islamic State terrorists released a video that showed extremists from southern and eastern Libya executing dozens of Ethiopian Christians.
The most recent event shows two disparate but coordinated bands of terrorists, indicating that the Islamic State, once thought unorganized and under independent leadership in the virtually leaderless North African country, has much more of a foothold than expected.
"You will not have safety even in your dreams until you accept Islam," a masked figure speaking English in an American accent says in the video of one of the mass executions. "To the nation of the cross: We are back again."
Where are the mass protests? Where are the United Nations celebrity ambassadors? Where are nonviolent Muslims? Where are the actors who speak for gay rights and animal rights and against nuclear energy?
"I hope that the international community doesn't stand mute and inert before such unacceptable crimes, which constitute a worrisome erosion of the most elementary human rights," Pope Francis said earlier this month, the day after Easter. "I truly hope that the international community doesn't look the other way."
In similar crises in the past, the world has looked to America for moral leadership. Today, in response, there is little more than silence.
The current scenario brings to mind the quotation about the pre-World War II days in Germany by Protestant pastor Martin Niemoller, who was an outspoken foe of Adolf Hitler during World War II and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps:
"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me."
Substitute in the quotation words like "Christians," "women," "children" or "innocent hostages," and you have the situation today.
How many more must be sacrificed before the world wakes up?