As the Christmas holiday approaches, President Obama is voicing solidarity with Christians facing death and persecution around the world.
The president says in some parts of the Mideast where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they'll be silent following atrocities committed by Islamic State militants.
Elsewhere, he notes Christians face persecution or have been driven from their homelands.
In a statement issued from his vacation home in Hawaii, Obama says he and his family are joining the world in praying for these Christians along with those of other faiths who are suffering, and are giving thanks that America is a land where celebrating any faith freely is a birthright.
