Iran's proxies are engaging in "invisible jihad" against Christians throughout the Middle East

According to a new report,, Iran's proxy militias are engaging in a "invisible jihad" against Christians across the Middle East, and they are succeeding in their attempts to force out and diminish the number of Christians.

According to a report by the Philos Project, a nonprofit organisation and community that encourages Christian participation in the region, the Iranian dictatorship seeks Muslim demographic purity and has "laboured to create conditions that pushed Christians away."

The report describes, "Iran’s proxy militias in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen have played a significant, though largely unrecognized, role in the dramatic decline of Christians in the region."

Farhad Rezaei, the report's author, stated "Invisible Jihad -- demographic reduction through coerced emigration -- these militias use extant conflicts to manufacture conditions behind the massive exodus."

The report describes how Christians were driven out of Baghdad via targeted assassinations, robberies, and sexual harassment, creating a "environment of terror." It also accuses militias of human trafficking, rape, and forced marriage as commanders sought to render Baghdad and other areas "Christian-free."

Militias participated in forced buyouts, evictions, expulsions, and destruction of private property, including the burning of acres of crops, much as they did in Lebanon. Militias have also attempted to impose an Islamic lifestyle on citizens, including compulsory veiling, liquor shop closures, and restrictions on Christian worship.

Meanwhile, in Syria, the report describes how the IRGC established various militias inside the Shia Liberation Army during the 2011 popular revolt against the Assad regime. According to the report, the Christian population in Syria has declined by 70% in the ten years since.