As we enter another century, it is almost mind-boggling to realize that the world's only superpower is checking on and supporting religious liberty all over the world, especially where this freedom is actively threatened. In the same way, we need to look at religious liberty preventatively and proactively as we cross the great calendar divide. It both originates from and develops a mind-set that sees everything as white or black, right or wrong. Extremists thus often conclude that the only way to exterminate false religious beliefs is to eliminate those holding such a religion. Nationalism is also a growing danger and is seen destructively at work in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Dagestan, Indonesia, and Kosovo, just to mention a few trouble spots.
Borders are closed to foreign missionaries or incoming religious ideas.
When nationalism unites with religious fundamentalism, you get an explosive mixture of such power that it can blow religious liberty to smithereens, and right out of the twenty-first century. Antireligious laicity wants to squeeze religion out of society, or at least public life. It thus takes after and attacks the minority religions. Today the problem is largely one of discrimination, but it shows signs of evolving into grave violations of religious freedom. Proselytism is a growing controversy, especially in Eastern Europe.