Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, warned his members in an email that "persecution against Christians" in the United States is inspiring similar actions abroad by members of the Islamic State.

In his email, Perkins said America was in the grip of a "struggle for the freedom to believe," and that the right of Christians to pursue their beliefs was coming "under attack."

The FRC head claimed that the Obama administration's "persecution" against the Christian populace in the US had "emboldened" attacks on Christians not only in the Middle East, but worldwide.

"Ask Christian wives, mothers and daughters overseas. Their husbands, sons and fathers are being beheaded or shot by radical Islamic jihadists like ISIS. They are being driven from their homes. Children are being martyred," Perkins wrote.

Despite this, Perkins claimed the Obama administration has not done enough to protect the world's Christians. The FRC leader also accused the US government of failing to acknowledge that a massacre of Christians was being perpetrated by Islamic jihadists in the Middle East.

Such inaction, he claimed, was leading the Islamists to believe that the US will not help Christians.

"Why would Islamist butchers fear our government, or believe the United States would defend Christians elsewhere when they do nothing to help Christians under attack for their faith right here in America?" Perkins said in the email.  

He cited as an example of persecution the case of Atlanta fire department chief Kevin Cochran, who was fired from his job for authoring and distributing a book teaching about the immorality of homosexuality.

"The same rampage of 'political correctness' that attacked Kelvin Cochran's freedom to believe is coming to your state, your town, your church," the influential Christian warned.