While Christians are celebrating Christmas all around the world, Christians in Iraq are persecuted and killed in the land in which they have lived for thousands of years. Under Saddam Hussein, Christians were protected and Muslims and Christians coexisted. Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein’s former right-hand men, is a Christian.

When I look back, I realize that Saddam Hussein was certainly not perfect, but he was able to protect the Christian minority in his country. Since the fall of Saddam’s regime, things are worse for the Christians of Iraq, and many are leaving Iraq to live in exile. France has welcomed many. The West did not see this coming.

The fall of Saddam symbolizes the increased power of the Shiites, and therefore, more of Iran’s involvement in Iraqi politics. The West has simply left the Christians to the mercy of Muslim extremists. Let’s give Saddam Hussein some credit for protecting freedom of religion in his land.

History has proven that the memories of dictators like Saddam Hussein will be one day reinvented and rehabilitated by his own people, even though he has done more bad than good. As the Arabs of Lybia say, “It’s better to deal with the devil we know than the devil we don’t know.”