Overview
- Tucker Carlson wrote that “Muslims love Jesus” in his Morning Note and tied the claim to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s anger over a meme depicting President Donald Trump as the Son of God.
- Right-leaning commentators counter that Islam regards Jesus as a prophet, not divine, and reject the crucifixion and resurrection central to Christian belief.
- They point to Open Doors’ 2026 report, which counts 388 million Christians facing high persecution and 4,849 faith-motivated killings in the year through September 2025, including 3,490 in Nigeria.
- The Washington Examiner underscores Iran’s enforcement of apostasy penalties, citing clerical rulings that prescribe death for male converts and reports of raids, arrests, and long prison terms for underground church members.
- Writers add historical context that Christian populations across the Middle East and North Africa have shrunk sharply over the last century, citing steep declines in Iraq and across the region.