Persecution continues to rise across the globe with 380 million Christians experiencing persecution and discrimination as a result of their faith, according to the latest report from persecution watchdog Open Doors US.
That’s one-in-seven believers on the planet.
This number is up substantially from the 365 million found to be under the same duress in last year’s World Watch List — an annual ranking of the worst places in the world for Christians.
“We continue to see that these issues are rising and that the trends are alarming,” said Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors US.
He told CBN News North Korea remains the most difficult place in the world for Christians.
“After 32 years that we’ve been reporting this data, it’s been the majority of those years that North Korea has been on top of the list.”
“If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you will either be immediately executed or deported to a horrendous labor camp that few survive,” according to the watchdog’s report.
“If they’re found in possession of a Bible, if they’re engaged in any type of Christian worship, it’s generally expected if that’s not a death sentence, it is a life sentence for imprisonment and in work camps with deplorable conditions.”
“The Kim regime relies on tightly controlling people’s behavior and beliefs.”
One news report alleged that 30 teenagers were killed simply because they watched a South Korean drama.
“Allegiance to anything other than the state [is seen] as a threat to the state,” Ryan Brown explained.
“So, any expression of Christianity is stamped out with great severity.”
Among the worst ten countries for Christians are Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
They’re followed by India, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Mali and China.
You can see the list of the worst 50 countries here.
Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa with 225 million people — almost half of them Christians.
Every year, more Christians are killed in Nigeria than in any other country.
They’re targeted by Islamist terror groups and Islamic Fulani herdsman who just want land to graze their cattle because their own is being eaten away by desertification.
Mr. Brown said much of the growth of the Christian church in China has been centered on small house churches which are unregistered houses of worship.
“The Chinese government, over the last couple of years, has had a very intentional and deliberate effort to stamp out many of those unregistered churches,” he expounded.
Other countries that have forced the Church underground include Afghanistan where converting from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death.
“There are places where the Church is, by all accounts, having the life being squeezed from it,” Mr. Brown revealed, citing the North African country of Algeria as a prime example.
“All its Protestant churches have been forced to close, and the number of Christians awaiting trial and sentencing is at an all-time high.”
Open Doors found increased violence in 15 sub-Saharan countries because Islamic extremist groups are taking advantage of government instability.
“Persecution is rising in countries such as Burkina Faso (20), Mali (14) and Chad (49), which enters the top 50 for the first time.” its report stated.
“Christians in Yemen (3), Sudan (5) and Myanmar (13) are easy targets for persecution as anarchy and internal conflict within these regions grows.”
Mr. Brown observed improvements in nations like Indonesia which has dropped out of the World Watch List this year.
“That’s an encouraging sign. Specifically some of the things that curbed there were some of the expressions of violence. ”
“It appears that officials there are really trying to address those issues.”
