Christian persecution is growing around the world amid jihadism, totalitarianism: report

Persecution of Christians has worsened in at least 18 countries at the hands of both totalitarian governments and militant non-state actors in recent years, according to a new report.

“Indicators strongly suggested that, during the period under review, the persecution of Christians continued to worsen in the main countries of concern,” says the report titled “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for Their Faith 2020-22 “.

Published by the Catholic group Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on November 16 and tabled in the UK Parliament earlier this week, the report singled out Asia, Africa and the Middle East as the regions where the persecution of Christians it’s more serious

The report also partially blamed the worsening global situation on “a cultural misperception in the West that continues to deny that Christians remain the most persecuted faith group.”

CHRISTIANS IN AFGHANISTAN FACE ROUTINE TORTURE, PERSECUTION BY FAMILY MEMBERS: GUARD GROUPS

For Christians in Afghanistan, “the rise of the Taliban has driven Christians underground: they live in fear of arrest, torture and execution,” according to ACN.
(The voice of the martyrs)

Examining “human rights violations” in 24 countries where Christian persecution is “of particular concern”, the report said conditions for worshipers had worsened or “slightly worsened” in 18 of them over the past two years , compared to 2017 to 2017. 2019.

The watchdog discerned “religious nationalism and authoritarianism” as the driving animosity against Christians in the offending nations, which include China, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, Eritrea, Ethiopia , Mozambique, Pakistan, Myanmar, Russia, North Korea, Vietnam, India and Qatar.

Conditions have worsened for Christians in every country listed in Africa, according to the watchdog, which noted that “militant non-state actors” such as Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa province are the main culprits.

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A view of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Nigeria, on June 6, 2022, a day after an attack on worshippers.
(AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Nigeria, in particular, is on the verge of becoming a “failed state” because of jihadists, the report warns, explaining that one analysis counted up to 7,600 Christians killed in the country between January 2021 and June 2022.

Presenting the report, Father Andrew Adeniyi Abayomi, whose church in Nigeria was attacked by gunmen on the day of Pentecost, wrote: “The suffering Church needs people to speak for us. Because stop the killing, more organizations like ACN need to proclaim. the truth of what is happening to Christians around the world. If not, we will always be persecuted and forgotten.”

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The watchman stands guard in front of the Catholic hospital of St. Louis in Owo City, Nigeria, Monday, June 6, 2022.
(AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

The “world’s oldest and most important Christian communities located in Iraq, Syria and Palestine” are also under particular threat, the report continued, noting that the Christian population in Syria has fallen from 1.5 million to just 300,000 since of 2011.

The main source of persecution in Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and North Korea arises from state authorities, which repress the faithful with arrests, forced church closures and draconian legislation. In North Korea, the report stated that “extreme Christian persecution is considered to have reached the threshold of genocide, with allegations of murder, forced abortions and infanticide and slavery.”

Hong Kong authorities arrested Roman Catholic Cardinal Zen in May 2022 on charges of violating China’s national security by “colluding with foreign forces.”
(Chan Long Hei/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“China continues to harass and attempt to control Christians and members of other religious groups who will not accept the official Communist Party line, so it is not surprising that in the Pew Forum’s analysis the authorities’ restrictions on religion scored the highest of any nation-state,” the report said.

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“Religio-nationalism” has also played an important role in driving Christian persecution in other Asian countries, such as Hindu nationalist groups in India and Sinhalese Buddhists in Sri Lanka.

Christian nuns wave banners as they march during a demonstration against the introduction of the Right to Freedom of Religion Protection Bill on December 22, 2021 in Bangalore, India.
(Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)

Open Doors USA, another religious freedom watchdog group, recently estimated that approximately 360 million Christians by 2022 are living in countries where they face persecution.

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More than 5,000 churches or Christian buildings were attacked and 4,765 Christians were “arrested without trial, detained, convicted or imprisoned” last year, according to the organization.