Last year, Christians were persecuted more than ever in the modern era—and this year is expected to be worse: “4,136 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons,” says Open Doors USA in its recently published World Watch List 2019 of the top 50 nations where Christians are persecuted. “On average, that’s 11 Christians killed every day for their faith.” Additionally, “2,625 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned” in 2018, and “1,266 churches or Christian buildings were attacked.”
Whereas 215 million Christians faced persecution in 2018, 245 million will suffer throughout 2019—a 14% increase, notes the report, representing 30 million more people abused for their faith. This means that “1 in 9 Christians experience high levels of persecution worldwide.” (Note: all quotes in this article are from the WWL 2019.)
One of the most noteworthy trends concerns the “shocking reality of persecution against women…. In many places, they experience a ‘double persecution’— one for being a Christian and one for being a woman. Even in the most restricted circumstances, gender-specific persecution is a key means of destroying the minority Christian community.” Last year’s WWL provided more specific numbers: “At least six women every day are raped, sexually harassed or forced into marriage to a Muslim man under the threat of death for their Christian faith…”
Another alarming trend is that, “For the first time since the start of the World Watch List, India has entered the top 10,” meaning Christians there are now experiencing “extreme persecution”:
Christians have been targeted by Hindu nationalist extremists more each year. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, attacks have increased, and Hindu radicals believe they can attack Christians with no consequences. The view of the nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith— including Christianity—is viewed as non-Indian. Additionally, in some regions of the country, converts to Christianity from Hinduism experience extreme persecution, discrimination and violence.
The most obvious trend remains unchanged:
Islamic oppression continues to impact millions of Christians. In seven out of the top 10 World Watch List countries, the primary cause of persecution is Islamic oppression. This means, for millions of Christians—particularly those who grew up Muslim or were born into Muslim families—openly following Jesus can have painful consequences. They can be treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against for jobs or even violently attacked.
Not only is “Islamic oppression” responsible for the persecution Christians face in seven of the ten worst nations; 38 of the 50 nations making the list are Muslim majority.
Among the worst persecutors are those that rule according to Sharia. In Afghanistan (ranked #2), “Christianity is not permitted to exist” because it “is an Islamic state by constitution, which means government officials, ethnic group leaders, religious officials and citizens are hostile toward” Christians. Similarly, in Somalia, (#3), “The Christian community is small and under constant threat of attack. Sharia law and Islam are enshrined in the country’s constitution, and the persecution of Christians almost always involves violence.” In Iran (#9), “society is governed by Islamic law, which means the rights and professional possibilities for Christians are heavily restricted.”
While the forms of and actors behind the persecution vary, they all appear to be connected to Islam. For example, “Under Pakistan’s (#5) notorious blasphemy laws, Christians continue to live in daily fear they will be accused of insulting Muhammad—which can carry a penalty of death.” In Libya (#4), Yemen (#8), Syria (#11), Iraq (#13) war has given rise to Islamic militancy and general lawlessness, both of which prey on Christian minorities.
In Muslim nations where Christians make for a significant minority, a significant amount of churches is needed to meet their numbers—the visibility of which may offend Muslim sensibilities. Thus in Egypt (#16), where Christians amount for at least 10 percent of the population (quite possibly even double that):
Severe restrictions on building or securing places for worship prevent Christians from congregating, in addition to hostility and violence toward believers who do gather. In recent years, Islamic extremist groups have targeted Christians and churches in numerous violent and deadly acts of persecution.
“The spread of radical Islam across subSaharan Africa” is another growing and troubling trend. For example,
Nigeria’s score for violence [99.9%] has stayed as high as possible, primarily due to the increased attacks on Christian communities by militant Fulani herdsmen. These attacks claimed the lives of hundreds of believers during the reporting period, and villages and churches burned to the ground. Additionally, in parts of northern Nigeria, Christians are treated as secondclass citizens.
Some of the WWL’s findings are surprising. Although Orthodox Christians make for the majority of its population, the Russian Federation is #41, and the “source of persecution” is, again, “Islamic oppression”: “Christians in parts of Russia dominated by Islam report the highest level of persecution.”
Despite Islam’s domineering role, North Korea (#1) remains the worst nation, where “never-ending pressure and violence” is directed against Christians: “The primary driver of persecution in North Korea is the state. For three generations, everything in the country has focused on idolizing the Kim family. Christians are seen as hostiles to be eradicated.”
As difficult as it is for Christians under the Kim regime, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for them and those in other communist nations (such as China #27): cults of personalities can only last so long, but in the Islamic world, where the bulk of persecution occurs, the source—“Islamic oppression” according to the WWL—is integral to and permeates the whole of society.
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