The Archbishop of Canterbury is on his way to Pakistan. As he packs, he says: "This is also a very important time for Pakistan's faith communities - the good relations between Christians and Muslims in many parts of the UK and in Pakistan provide a platform for building further and for eradicating mistrust and misunderstanding.

I am pleased to be able to visit Muslim students, scholars and leaders in the Islamic University of Islamabad and elsewhere."

I wonder what "good relations" he is referring to? In reality, it is a very dangerous thing to practise the Christian faith in Pakistan. At Christmas 2002 a church was burnt to the ground and many Christians were killed, injured or dispossessed. Only last week a church, church school and other Christian buildings were destroyed or severely damaged and again Christians went in danger of their lives.

I can understand that the Archbishop wishes to build on good relations where they exist, but this should not stop him complaining vigorously about the persecution which Christians are suffering in that Muslim country. But nowhere in his speech promoting his trip does Dr Rowan Williams so much as mention that anything is amiss.

Unfortunately, the Church of England hierarchy is in denial when it comes to the sufferings of Christians at the hands of fanatical Muslims. And not just in Pakistan. Christians are persecuted in Sudan and Somalia and in Israel, where most of the Christian population of Bethlehem has been driven out by threats and violence. Recently in Indonesia, three schoolgirls were abducted and beheaded and their heads left outside the Christian school they attended.

Everyone hopes and prays for better interfaith relationships, but these relationships cannot be improved by the conspicuous and constant refusal to draw attention to the way Christian individuals and communities in many parts of the world are being savaged by their Muslim neighbours. There is a consistency and unifying factor in these disturbing attacks: they are all pepetrated upon Christians by Muslims - not by "terrorists" or "insurgents" or "extremists", but by Muslims and in the name of Islam.

Of course not all Muslims behave so disgracefully. But the truth is that all the attackers are Muslims. It's not the Jews doing these murders or the Hindus burning our churches. What degree of atrocity will have to be suffered before the church hierarchy in particular and British politicians generally accept that there is a global insurrection against western institutions and our whole way of life? It is not a "clash of civilisations" but rather a case of civilisation versus barbarism.

The Archbishop ought to raise these grave matters when he preaches at the Muslim University in Islamabad. Shouldn't the leader of the Anglican Church worldwide be expressing solidarity with his persecuted Christian brethren rather than holding a love-in in the shape of an interfaith junket cum publicity stunt with the chief representatives of those who are murdering his own flock?

As the Bible says: "Woe to them that cry 'Peace!' where there is no peace".

* Peter Mullen is Rector of St Michael's, Cornhill, in the City of London, and Chaplain to the Stock Exchange.