British Christian Print Media and the Framing of Islam and Muslims through the Lens of Christian Persecution

'Christian persecution' has been widely referred to as a popular phrase to describe the suffering of Christians on the basis of their faith. Within Christianity itself, persecution has become a religious vocabulary that is commonly related to the construction and formation of Christian identity. In relation to modern and contemporary news reporting, very often 'Christian persecution' becomes a hot topic as far as the relationship between Muslims and Christians in Muslim-majority countries is concerned. In what circumstances does Christian persecution occur in Muslim-majority countries? To what extent can Christian persecution be understood in the light of the media representation of Islam and Muslims? Drawing on the empirical data from four British Christian print media (Church Times, The Tablet, Evangelicals Now and Evangelical Times), this article aims to explore and examine the narrative of Christian persecution and how Islam and Muslims are represented in the journalistic texts distributed in these four print media.