IRAN: Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that ushered in Tehran’s theocracy under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The tumultuous events (timeline here) led to the hostage-taking of 52 Americans from the U.S.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: The West should be wary of the tolerance agenda surrounding the historic visit of Pope Francis to the Abu Dhabi this week, writes Hudson fellow and religious freedom expert Nina Shea. “I see this as a process of responding to religious extremism in the region that follows up on the Marrakesh Declaration led by moderate Sunnis,” said Thomas K.

SYRIA: A joint letter to U.S. President Donald Trump from the coalition of Christians, Arabs, and Kurds controlling part of northern Syria says the unexpected plans for U.S. withdrawal have “severely undercut” efforts to install non-sectarian democracy in a region where 21,000 new Muslim converts to Christianity—together with 100,000 ethnic Christians—reside.

The persecution index is rising. If someone launched a futures market based on Christian believers getting killed and took a “long” position, they’d have a safe prospect of a return. 

PAKISTAN: Christian mother Asia Bibi—held for nine years—is free to go after the Supreme Court upheld its acquittal from the death penalty conviction for blasphemy against Islam. Bibi, who watched from a secret location as the decision was announced, is expected to join her daughters in exile in Canada.

IRAQ: This edition of Globe Trot is coming to you from Hopeful Hands, a sewing workshop located in the basement of the Alliance evangelical church in Erbil. This enterprise employs women whose families were displaced by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. They’ve lost everything, for years now, and many await asylum in Australia and elsewhere. Jobs are hard to come by, and some women travel 90 minutes by bus from camps.