The recent murder of Pakistan's Christian cabinet minister Shahbaz Bhatti helped bring the issue of religious minority persecution into the global spotlight.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the matter earlier this week before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"There's no doubt that Christians and other minority groups are feeling under pressure and are leaving countries from North Africa to South Asia because they don't feel protected," she told Tuesday's congressional panel.

"I think we need to do much more to stand up for the rights of religious minorities," she said.

Our panel of experts and reporters -- including CBN News International Correspondents Gary Lane and George Thomas, Mideast Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell, and Paul Marshall of the Hudson Institute -- talked more about Bhatti's murder and the disturbing trend violence against religious minorities on CBN News' Midday News, March 4. Click play to watch.

Click on the following links for more:

• Is the U.S. doing enough to combat violence against world's Christians?

• Persecution of Israel's messianic Jews, Palestinian Christians, tales of encouragement.

• How you can effectively pray for the persecuted Church.