2015 saw a spike in the amount of persecution Christians around the world face, Open Doors USA, an organization whose mission is to serve persecuted Christians, said in a recent report. More than 7,100 Christians were killed last year because of their faith, a spike that Open Doors described as “a level akin to ethnic cleansing.”

The violence is grouped mostly in Middle Eastern countries whose governments have destabilized, eroding religious liberty. But Open Doors also notes longtime U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia and India are on the list of the top 50 counties with the most persecution. Of course, the rise of the Islamic State hasn’t helped the state of religious liberty in the Middle East. The Associated Press recently reported that the group pulverized St. Elijah’s Monastery of Mosul, the oldest monastery in an area that was once home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. For 1,400 years, the monastery stood as persecution and world events swirled around it. When U.S. boots were on the ground in the ground in the area, the U.S. military started restoring the monastery.

Moving forward, America must pick a leader that insists this nation’s allies uphold Rule of Law that allows their citizens to practice their faith as they see fit. For example, Ted Cruz landed in hot water in 2014 for telling a group of Middle Eastern Christians that they should stand with Israel because it respects religious liberty. This week, Donald Trump tried to endear himself with an audience at Liberty University, the nation’s largest evangelical college, by saying Americans should start wishing each other “Merry Christmas” again. As for Hillary Clinton, she’s probably accepted so many donations from the Saudis that she has to be told her position on religious liberty.