With his native Lebanon in political shambles, and with ISIS threatening to turn Lebanon into another Syria or Iraq, where Christians have been among the primary victims, Joseph Hakim has sprung into action. He seeks to awaken Western Christians to express solidarity with their Christian brethren in the Middle East, and better yet, encourage the U.S. government to offer protection to the Christians in the region just as previous U.S. governments have done to protect Muslim civilians. With a quest to achieve the American dream, Hakim, 45, arrived in the U.S. with only $500 in his pocket. In less than 30 years, he has built a multi-million dollar business and purchased a suburban home with all the trappings of the 'dream.' "It was never money that motivated me" Hakim pointed out. "I am touched by human suffering. Today, I cannot relax while my people, culture, and religion are under attack." Hakim began his communal activities in 1991 with the World Lebanese Cultural Union where he served as Vice President, and ultimately as interim President. Realizing that his fellow Muslim-Lebanese were attempting to control the Lebanese diaspora that is 85% Christian, and noticing the increased Syrian involvement in this cultural organization, he stepped down from his position in 2010. Hakim was instrumental in forming the International Christian Union (ICU) in 2005. He ultimately rose to become the President of ICU, which he currently leads. In detailing the plight of Christians in the region, Hakim noted that since the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of WWI, the Christian population has declined steeply, and Christians are under the threat of disappearance. Turkey alone is responsible for the genocide committed against the Armenian Christians, Assyrians, and Greeks in her territories, as well as the mass exodus of Christians to neighboring states (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) and the West. In recent history Christians accounted for 14 percent of the population in the Middle East, and now constitute barely 4 percent, according to Hakim. In Iran and Turkey, Christians are practically gone. "Lebanon," says Hakim, "is the only country in the region where Christians still hold significant political power, albeit, their numbers have shrunk in the past century from 78 percent of the population to 34 percent." Hakim maintains that a low birthrate among the Christian-Lebanese has contributed to their decline along with a hostile political environment and an economic crisis. The rise of extremist Islamic groups and the perception that their own Christian communities are vanishing caused many Christian-Lebanese to migrate to other parts of the world, including North and South America, Australia, as well as Europe. With no replacement to date, the last Christian president of Lebanon left office a year ago. There is no functioning government at the moment in Lebanon. According to Hakim, the Lebanese diaspora now numbers approximately 14 million strong, the majority of whom are Christians. "Christians," Hakim explained, "had no choice but to succumb to Muslim dictatorial rule, with the hope that the economically powerful Christian minorities could moderate the severity of Islam. It never happened. Under Islamic rule Eastern Christians live as 'protected people', better known as dhimmis. They are subservient to the ruling Muslim majority, and in the past had to pay jizya (the Prophet Muhammad established that people of other religions had to pay a poll tax to Muslims called jizya as a reminder of their inferior status). Often times however, Christians were allowed to observe practices forbidden by Islam, including eating pork, drinking alcohol, and wearing certain costumes. Yet, Christians and Jews had to walk on the left side of the street or the gutters when a Muslim passed them." As far as Hakim is concerned, ISIS, Al-Qaida, and the Muslim Brotherhood seek the same goal -the revival of the Caliphate, abolished in 1924 by Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Hakim sees these radical Islamic groups as successors to the Ottomans who relentlessly expanded Islamic territory. "It does not matter whether it is Sunni or Shiite Islam. Both are committing crimes against humanity," says Hakim. "The situation today", he added "reminds me of the First Century CE when Christians were fed to the lions in Roman coliseums, while the people cheered. Middle Eastern Christians suffer today at the hands of Muslims, the same butcheries and indignities as in the days of yore, while European and American Christians passively go about their lives. "The West refuses to learn the lessons of the past," argues Hakim. "The U.S. and its allies are empowering radical Islamist Iran in a deal that would inevitably make it a nuclear power. The Saudis and the Gulf states won't wait until Iran gets the bomb; they are rushing to buy a nuclear bomb from Pakistan." Ultimately, the Iranians, Arabs, and Turks seek the expulsion of the "infidel American" influence from the region. He contends that ISIS was meant to cut off the expansion of the Shiite Crescent. According to Hakim, Iran is using ISIS to eliminate the Syrian opposition. Iran understands that the more turmoil in the area (Syria), the better it is for Tehran to extend its influence and preserve the Assad regime. Hakim believes that Iran and Turkey are in cahoots in fomenting mayhem in the region. Hakim posited that just as the Jewish people returned to their ancestral and biblical home in Israel, so must the Christians of the Middle East be able to dwell securely in an independent Christian state on lands they have inhabited since the time of Jesus, long before the Arab-Muslim invasion. Lebanon is the only country in the region where Christians can realize that (the French created Lebanon as a Christian Majority state). The re-establishment of such a Christian state in Lebanon (and perhaps parts of Syria, where until recently almost two-million Christians lived) must be supported by Western powers, the Vatican, and the Christian-Lebanese diaspora, if it is to become a reality. The U.S. in particular, can and should empower a Christian-Lebanese state by providing it with political, economic, and military aid. A Christian-Lebanese state, in an alliance with Israel, would serve as a bulwark against the Islamist forces led by Iran and Hezbollah on one hand, and ISIS, the Palestinians, and the Muslim Brotherhood salafist on the other. "The ICU is deeply concerned about the continued bleeding of the Christian communities throughout the Middle East. We seek immediate action from the international community to stop the killing of Christians" Hakim declared. "We expect the international community, the UN, and NATO to react to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East with the same passion and resolve they used to stop the killing of Muslims in Bosnia. The double-standard is clear. The international community rushed to protect the Muslim community in Bosnia, but has done nothing to protect Christians under similar circumstances." Quoting from Ephesians 1:10 (To bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth...) Hakim calls upon Christians worldwide to unite in solidarity with their co-religionists in the Middle East.