DAVID ADAMS reports on the 2017 release of Open Door’s annual World Watch List highlighting the 50 countries where persecution of Christians is worst…
At least 215 million Christians around the world are experiencing high levels of persecution – with almost half of them located in Asia, according to persecuted church advocacy and support group Open Doors.
Releasing its annual World Watch List of the 50 countries where the persecution of Christians is worst, the organisation – which works with the persecuted church in more than 60 countries around the world – estimates that more than 100 million of the those Christians suffering persecution in the 50 countries named in the list are based in Asia.
PERSECUTION AROUND THE WORLD: Top – Statues of deceased leaders in North Korea which has topped the World Watch List for the 16th year in a row; Middle – The ruins of a church in Qaraqosh, Iraq, which is 7th on this year’s list; Bottom – A church in Laos, ranked 24th on the list. PICTURES: Courtesy Open Doors Australia
10 COUNTRIES WHERE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IS WORST
1. North Korea
2. Somalia
3. Afghanistan
4. Pakistan
5. Sudan
6. Syria
7. Iraq
8. Iran
9. Yemen
10. Eritrea
Source: World Watch List 2017
It also notes that many countries in Asia have seen “sharp declines” in conditions for Christians in the past year with India (15th on the 2017 World Watch List, up from 17th in 2016), Vietnam (17th up from 20th, Laos (24th up from 29th) and Bangladesh (26th, up from 35th) the countries seeing the greatest increases in persecution of Christians over the past year.
Mike Gore, chief executive of Open Doors Australia, says the fact so much persecution occurs in Asia doesn’t really come as a surprise given the region’s large population. But he adds that trends such as the growing strength of links between nationalism and particular religions in many countries are adding fuel to the fire.
Mr Gore says India, and the push to mesh the national identity with Hinduism, “is a great example of this with its anti-conversion laws”. He says that while the introduction of the laws ostensibly are aimed at curbing the advancement of Islam in the nation, Christianity and other minority religions in the country also get negatively impacted.
Noting that politicians in neighbouring Buddhist countries have also started to “trade on religion” as an important part of their own national identities, Mr Gore says Asia is one of the fastest changing and increasing areas of persecution in the world at the moment.
“We think in Asia, there is going to be a continued increase in pressure on Christianity,” he says – a fact which Mr Gore believes confirms what the Bible says about the end times before the return of Christ.
“One of the pitfalls of Western Christianity is that we can often have this beautiful dream that the world sort of ends with everyone coming to know Jesus…[but] the Bible speaks directly opposite to that,” he says. “What I love about his ministry is that we’re not here to end persecution, we’re not even hear to stop it growing, we’re here to give people the strength to stand in the face of it and shine as brightly as they can.”
As well as estimating that some 215 million Christians are experiencing high levels of persecution the listed 50 countries, the World Watch List also reports that during 2016 some 1,207 Christians were killed as a direct result of their faith and some 1,329 churches were attacked – describing both figures as conseravtive estimates with data from conflict areas excluded.
North Korea has, for the 16th consecutive year, topped the list – among incidents reported last year was the murder of Korean-Chinese pastor Han Cheong Yeol who had been assisting people who had escaped the so-called ‘Hermit Kingdom’.
But Mr Gore says he was shocked to discover Somalia this year only ranked slightly behind North Korea. “An incredibly worrying sign…” he says, noting that of a population of about 11.4 million people, it’s estimated there are only around 100 Christians.
While the main cause of persecution in North Korea is the oppressive Communist regime, in Somalia persecution comes as a result of extreme lawlessness married with Islamic extremism, in particular the targeting of Christians by the extremist group al-Shabaab.
“Even the suspicion that someone is a believer can result in death…” Mr Gore says.
Open Doors says the main driver of persecution of Christians around the world was once again found to be “Islamic oppression” during 2016 and a glance at countries in the top 10 on the list confirms this with the likes of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen among them.
Open Doors points out that while in some countries where persecution occurs such as Saudi Arabia – where there are no church buildings for Christians to meet in – the number of Christians remains small, in others, such as Iran, the church is growing at a “phenomenal rate” despite the forced closure of churches.
Mr Gore says many countries are seeing the emergence of new Muslim-background believer churches which look dramatically different from traditional Western churches but testify to the fact that Jesus is still building His church.
Open Doors also highlights the use of blasphemy laws against Christians in Islamic nations such as Pakistan where it says “unjust and arbitrary” laws continue to “haunt religious minorities”.
“One of the bigger concerns for us is the lack of evidence required to bring these charges. We often find that many of these cases are based off personal vendettas or conflict within groups.”
– Open Doors Australia CEO Mike Gore, speaking in reference to the use of blasphemy laws against countries in countries like Pakistan
“One of the bigger concerns for us is the lack of evidence required to bring these charges,” Mr Gore says. “We often find that many of these cases are based off personal vendettas or conflict within groups.”
The only new entrants to the list this year were Mauritania – ranked at number 47, it’s an Islamic republic where Christians face a high level of pressure, and Sri Lanka – ranked at 45, Buddhism-linked religious nationalism the main driver of persecution there. Both Niger and Azerbaijan were excluded from this year’s list as a result.
And while a number of nations, such as China – which dropped from 33 on the list to 39 – have shown improving rankings, Open Doors have cautioned that in many cases this is only because of the worsening situation in other nations.
“We’re actually seeing the overall level of persecution and intensity increase so when countries go down the list it’s not actually that life is getting better for them generally, it’s that life is getting worse for others,” says Mr Gore.
The World Watch List, which is compiled by a special unit of Open Doors and audited externally before its release, aims to provide the Western church with, in Mr Gore’s words, a tool that “allows them to get an insight into what life is like for people who share our faith but not our freedom”.
It defines persecution as “any hostility experienced as a result of one’s identification with Christ” including hostile attitudes, words and actions towards Christians. Mr Gore adds that the outworking of persecution broadly falls into two categories – ‘smash’ or ‘squeeze’.
While the ‘smash’ is seen in places like the Middle East where groups like Islamic State have executed and tortured Christians and destroyed churches, the ‘squeeze’ is seen in places like Asia where persecution is more about the pressures placed on the life of the Christian – such as a blocking of access to essentials like water, employment or schooling or always finding themselves at the back of the queue when trying to deal with bureaucracies in order to obtain things like driver’s licences – which make it “almost impossible to be a believer”.
Asked what’s most impacted him about the list this year, Mr Gore cites a quote from a believer in Somalia who speaks of the impact radio programmes broadcast into the nation by a Christian partner of Open Doors have had in encouraging his faith in Jesus.
“I had been a conservative Muslim and I even used to preach at you, attempting to bring you back to Islam, but now, I’m a believer, and this because of your programme,” the man said. “I am no longer a Muslim because I received and accepted the Gospel after I heard it from you. Don’t think that I only chose Christianity because of its kindness and gentleness. I choose Christianity because it is the only religion that can provide ultimate salvation from sin and God’s judgment through Jesus Christ. Your radio programme’s long investment in my life in terms of teaching was not in vain.”
“And that, to me, is just a beautiful testimony from a believer in Somalia…” says Mr Gore. “To read that story was a really moving moment.”
