06 January 2011
Islamic countries dominate Open Doors 2011 World Watch List
2200 Christians are martyred on account of their faith
Although Communist North Korea tops Open Doors annual World Watch List (WWL) for the ninth consecutive year, the most dangerous places for Christians to live are overwhelmingly Muslim majority countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
Eight of the top 10 countries on the 2011 WWL are Islamic majority countries. Persecution has increased in seven of them. They are Iran, which clamps down on a growing house church movement; Afghanistan, where the only way to practice Christianity is to worship in secret; and Saudi Arabia, which refuses to allow any Saudi person to convert to Christianity. Others are Somalia, which is ruled by terrorists and has a track record for killing Christians, the Maldives, where Christians are prevented from holding citizenship; Yemen and Iraq, where extremists massacred 58 Christians in Baghdad on 31 Oct. Of the top 30 countries, in only seven does the main threat of persecution stem from a source other than Islamic extremism.
The annual World Watch List is compiled by the research department of Open Doors. The List tracks the shifting conditions under which Christians live in societies around the world that are hostile to Christianity. It ranks the 50 places where it is hardest to practice the Christian faith and covers the period from 1 Nov. 2009, to 31 Oct. 2010.
The country where the deterioration of religious freedom for Christian was most severe, is Iraq, jumping from No. 17 to No. 8. The country has experienced an exodus of Christians in recent years, with less than 350,000 Christians remaining, only a third of the number of Christians living in the country at the start of the first Gulf War in 1991. Principally Christians are fleeing due to organized violence by an extremist militia, especially in the northern city of Mosul and in the capital Baghdad, an attempt by extremists to cleanse these regions of their Christian presence. At least 90 Christians were martyred last year in Iraq while hundreds more were injured in bomb and gun attacks.
in Nigeria, 2,000 Christians lost their lives in riots caused by Muslim extremists, primarily in Plateau State in the north of the country. However, elsewhere in the country Christians live in comparative freedom, able to worship and evangelise freely which accounts for Nigeria's seemingly low ranking of No. 23 on the new List. Tensions has been growing for more than a generation in northern Nigeria, and escalated after 1999 when 12 northern states adopted Sharia (strict Islamic law). In another fatal bomb attack on Christmas Eve, a Baptist pastor and five other Christians in northern Nigeria.
"Being a Muslim Background Believer or 'Secret Believer' in a Muslim-dominated country puts a bulls-eye on the backs of Christians," says Eddie Lyle, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland. "There is either no freedom to believe or little freedom of religion. And as the 2011 World Watch List reflects, the persecution of Christians in these Muslim countries continues to increase.
Although boasting a Christian community of more than 5 million, believers in Pakistan faced a perilous situation, which was reflected in its WWL ranking rising from No. 14 to No. 11. Twenty-nine Christians were martyred in the reporting period with at least one killing occurring every month. Four Christians were given long term jail sentences for blasphemy against Islam, at least 58 Christians were kidnapped, more than 100 Christians were assaulted and 14 churches and properties were damaged.
Other countries that rose markedly on the new WWL were Afghanistan, up from No. 6 to No. 3, especially in the wake of ugly demonstrations when footage of Muslims being baptized was shown on network television. Dozens of Christians from the tiny Afghan church have had to move due to subsequent death threats, and in August a 10-person medical aid team from a Christian organization was slaughtered.
While persecution continues to increase in Muslim-dominated countries, there is no question that North Korea deserves its No. 1 ranking. The state's attitude towards Christians is extremely hostile they should not exist. There is no freedom to build churches or to worship in homes. Possession of Christian materials is punishable by death. In May 2010 a group of 23 Christians was discovered. The police found Bibles and other Christian literature. Three people were publicly executed, and the others disappeared within the infamous Yodok Prison camp. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians suffer in prison camps. The number of Christian martyrs in North Korea is hard to discern because it is such a secretive society, but Open Doors reports that hundreds of believers have been arrested.
For more information, including a list of all 50 countries on the WWL, go to www.opendoorsuk.org/worldwatch
