AP PHOTOS: Editor's picks from Mideast, Afghanistan-Pakistan
In this Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015 file photo, a Lebanese couple take selfie in front men and women wearing Santa Claus costumes during a parade for Christmas, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 photo, an Iraqi Christian woman celebrates during Christmas Eve mass in the Al-Bashara Church in a Christian refugee camp in Irbil, northern Iraq. Many of the worshippers are displaced from their homes after Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014.
In this Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015 file photo, a Lebanese woman wearing a Santa Claus costume sings during a Christmas event, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
In this Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 file photo, Pakistani Christians wear Santa Claus jackets, during a rally in Lahore, Pakistan.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 photo, an Iraqi Christian woman prays during Christmas Eve mass in the Al-Bashara Church in Christian refugee camp in Irbil, northern Iraq. Many of the worshippers are displaced from their homes after Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 file photo, Iranian couples take selfies with Christmas items of a shop on Christmas Eve in central Tehran, Iran. Iran's population of 80 million includes about 120,000 Christians, mostly Armenian ethnicity. Iranian Christians have three representatives in the parliament and freely practice their religion as allowed under the constitution.
In this Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 file photo, Pakistani Christian children prepare for Christmas in Islamabad, Pakistan,. Partial translation on the wall reads, "Merry Christmas and a happy new year. "
In this Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015 file photo, Christian actors play the parts of Joseph and Mary during a re-enactment of a Nativity scene of the birth of Jesus Christ as part of Christmas festivities at the Nazareth Village in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 file photo, a Christian pilgrim prays inside the Grotto of the Church of Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve,.
A U.S. soldier dressed as Santa Claus waves to fellow troop son Christmas day at the U.S. air base in Bagram, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 25, 2015.
A Pakistani Christian woman yawns during the Christmas mass at a local church, Friday, Dec. 25, 2015 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 photo, a boy dressed in a tiny denim suit jacket holds a candle as Iraqi Christians celebrate during Christmas Eve mass in the Al-Bashara Church in a Christian refugee camp in Irbil, northern Iraq. Many of the worshippers are displaced from their homes after Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 file photo, an Israeli Arab Christian boy dressed up as Santa Claus waits for the start of the annual Christmas parade in in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth, Israel.
In this Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015 file photo, Lebanese men and women wearing Santa Claus costumes play music for people during a Christmas event, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 file photo, a Lebanese Shiite woman waits with her daughter to takes a picture with Santa Claus in front a Christmas tree in Downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 photo, Iraqi Christiand take part in Christmas Eve mass in the Albashara Church in a Christian refugee camp in Irbil, northern Iraq. Many of the worshippers are displaced from their homes after Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014.
People from Pakistani Christian community leave a local church after attending Christmas mass at a local church, under security, Friday, Dec. 25, 2015 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Security has been tightened to avoid any act of terrorism around churches in the capital and other cities where Christians attended Christmas ceremonies.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 file photo, Israeli Arab Christians dressed up as Santa Claus wait for the start of the annual Christmas parade in in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth, Israel, on Christmas Eve.
In this Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015 file photo, Muslim members of the Al-Hamdeya Al-Shazeleya Sufi order, chant prayers as they celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad known as Moulid Al-Nabi, in Cairo, Egypt.
In this Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015 file photo, Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, stand around a large banner with Arabic writing that reads,"Muhammad" during the celebration of Moulid Al-Nabi, the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad in Sanaa, Yemen.
In this Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015 file photo, a Shiite fighter, known as a Houthi, holds a green flag during the celebration of moulid al-nabi, the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad in Sanaa, Yemen.
In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 file photo, Israeli Arab Christians perform at the annual Christmas parade in in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth, Israel, on Christmas Eve.
In this Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015 file photo, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, right, greets Syrian children at a Lebanese public school where only Syrian students attend classes in the afternoon, in Bchamoun village, mount Lebanon. Renzi is in Lebanon to meet with Lebanese officials and to visit the Italian UN peacekeepers who work in south Lebanon and to visit Syrian refugee schools.
In this Saturday Dec. 19, 2015 file photo, Palestinian boys run by a painted house in the Shati Refugee Camp in Gaza City. Shati has always been a symbol of poverty, a grey concrete jungle with 87,000 people packed into one fifth of a square mile (half a square kilometer). But now, overlooking the sewage-contaminated Mediterranean beachfront, the camp’s houses are covered in vibrant colors.
In this Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 file photo, people ride a merry-go-round near a Christmas tree at Zawra Park in Baghdad, Iraq.
