More than 365 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, according to the Open Doors World Watch List 2024.
The top ten countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution are North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Except for North Korea, where the persecution is caused by "dictatorial paranoia" and "communist and post-communist oppression," the main religion of all other countries and groups on the list is Islam. According to Open Doors:
"Being discovered to be a Christian in North Korea is effectively a death sentence. Either believers will be deported to labour camps as political criminals, where they face a life of hard labor which few survive, or they are killed on the spot. The same fate awaits family members. There are believed to be tens of thousands of Christians held in labor camps across the country.
"It's impossible for Christians to live freely in North Korea. Meeting for worship is almost impossible and must be done in utmost secrecy, and at grave risk. In May 2023, five members of a family were arrested as they gathered for prayer and Bible study. Christian literature was also confiscated."
Somalia, where Christians face extreme persecution, has been going through a civil war since 1991. As Freedom House reports:
"Somalia has struggled to reestablish a functioning state since the collapse of an authoritarian regime in 1991. Limited, indirect elections brought a federal government to power in 2012... The government's territorial control is also contested by a separatist government in Somaliland and by the Shabaab, an Islamist militant group. No direct national elections have been held to date, and political affairs remain dominated by clan divisions. Amid ongoing insecurity, human rights abuses by both state and nonstate actors occur regularly."
According to Open Doors, Christians in the country are affected the worst:
"The dangers of being a Christian in Somalia are extreme. Most, if not all, are converts from Muslim backgrounds, making them a high-value target for al-Shabab, a militant group that has repeatedly expressed its desire to eradicate Christians from the country. If discovered, believers could be killed on the spot...
"No area is safe for Christians in Somalia. However, the most dangerous places are the areas under the control of al-Shabab, particularly in the south and southwest."
Libya ranks third:
"Converts from Islam face the most intense and violent pressure from their family and community. They risk house arrest, attack, abduction, sexual violence and murder. It is incredibly dangerous for converts to meet together to worship, and church life is almost non-existent.
"Even Christians who aren't Libyan or converts are at risk. Christians from other parts of Africa are targeted by extremist groups. Christians have been kidnapped and, in a few high-profile incidents, brutally murdered. Christians from Sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom come to Libya as displaced people trying to get to Europe, face additional risk. Because of their lack of official status, they can be kidnapped and trafficked, and extremist groups target these believers as well."
In Eritrea, known as the "North Korea of Africa" due to its intense authoritarian government, "all Christians face intense scrutiny from the government, risking arrest and indefinite detention". According to Freedom House:
"Eritrea is a militarized authoritarian state that has not held a national election since independence from Ethiopia in 1993. The People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), headed by President Isaias Afwerki, is the sole political party. Arbitrary detention is commonplace, and citizens are required to perform national service, often for their entire working lives. The government shut down all independent media in 2001."
Yemen, which ranks fifth in the list, "has no functioning central government with full control over its territory," notes the Freedom House.
"Yemen... has been devastated by a civil war involving regional powers since 2015. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and their allies intervened that year to support the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi against Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), also known as the Houthis—an armed rebel movement that is rooted in the Zaidi Shiite community, which forms a large minority concentrated in northwestern Yemen."
Christians across Yemen continue to face extreme persecution:
"Most believers are Yemeni and come from Muslim backgrounds. As conversion from Islam is forbidden by Islamic and state law, Christians must keep their faith secret, or risk severe repercussions from their families, the authorities or radical Islamic groups. This can include divorce, loss of custody of children, arrest, interrogation and even death.
"The humanitarian crisis caused by Yemen's 10-year civil war has also exacerbated the pressure on believers. While some relief aid is available, this is mostly distributed through local Muslim groups and mosques, which are alleged to be discriminating against anyone not considered a devout Muslim.
"Christians across Yemen face dangers for their faith. Even in comparatively liberal areas, such as large cities, displaying a Christian symbol can have serious consequences.
"Pressure is particularly strong on converts living in the northern areas controlled by Houthis (an armed rebel movement). These areas are more heavily policed and, given the poverty that people live in, spying is commonly used to court favor with the local authorities, who are relied upon for aid. The Houthi's internal security forces even operate an intelligence unit that roots out apostates.
"Christians in southern rural areas are also particularly at risk due to the aggressive expansion of al-Qaeda in the region."
Home to some of the world's largest Muslim and Christian populations, Nigeria has a Christian population of over 100 million, who are subject to extreme persecution and genocide in the country. According to Open Doors:
"Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants and armed 'bandits.' More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined. The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death. Believers are stripped of their livelihoods and driven from their homes, leaving a trail of trauma and grief.
"Violence by Islamic extremist groups such as Fulani militants, Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State in West African Province) increased during the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, putting Nigeria at the epicenter of targeted violence against the church. The government's failure to protect Christians and punish perpetrators has only strengthened the militants' influence...
"The persecution of believers is most common in the northern Shariah states, where the small pockets of Christian communities in rural areas are particularly vulnerable to violent attacks. However, attacks are increasingly spreading southward, to where the majority of Nigeria's Christians live."
In December of 2022, the organization "Genocide Watch" issued a "Nigeria Genocide Emergency Alert":
"Nigeria is currently undergoing one of the deadliest genocides in the world. More people die in Nigeria every month than in Ukraine. The UNDP estimates that terrorists have killed over 350,000 people in Nigeria since 2009. 300,000 were children. Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani jihadists have also forcibly displaced over 2.9 million Nigerians. The genocidal massacres have mainly targeted Christians."
In Pakistan, abductions, forced conversions and forced marriages with Muslim men, false blasphemy accusations, and discrimination are among the forms of persecution faced by Christians.
"The devastating attack on the Christian community in Jaranwala in August 2023 was a sobering reminder of the hostile environment facing many believers in Pakistan. The attack on more than 20 churches and almost 100 homes was in response to allegations that two believers had desecrated the Quran.
"Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, but Christians are disproportionately affected. Indeed, roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who only make up 1.8% of the population.
"Believers are targeted in other ways, too, both overtly and subtly. The number of Christian girls (and those from other minority religions) abducted, abused and forcefully converted to Islam (frequently backed by lower courts) is growing, while churches that engage in outreach are particularly prone to opposition. All Christians suffer from institutionalized discrimination, and occupations that are deemed low, dirty and degrading, such as working as a sewer cleaner or on a brick kiln, are reserved for Christians by the authorities. Many are referred to as 'chura', a derogatory term meaning 'filthy'."
In Sudan, which ranks number eight in the Open Doors list, a risk of genocide is looming following the civil war, which erupted in April 2023. The ongoing war in Sudan has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced nearly six million from their homes.
On November 23, 2023, a group of 70 international law experts published an open letter warning about the risk of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, writing:
"The risk of imminent genocidal mass killing is now approaching a point of no return as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group in conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), is on the verge of taking over the entire Darfur region after capturing four of its five states.
"In recent months, international observers have documented the RSF's campaign of widespread and systematic attacks against civilians and deliberate targeting of non-Arab ethnic groups for mass killing, enslavement, sexual violence, and torture."
In the war-stricken country, Christians are among the most vulnerable. Open Doors reports:
"More than 165 churches have closed and others have been destroyed. Churches have also reported human rights violations such as rape, kidnap and looting.
"There are long-term concerns that the conflict will give Islamic extremists a renewed foothold in the country, undoing the reforms made by the transitional civilian government which gave more freedom to Christians, including abolishing the apostasy law and removing Islam as the state religion.
"More immediately, those who convert to Christianity from Muslim backgrounds continue to face huge dangers. Some will even refrain from telling their children about Jesus, for fear they may inadvertently disclose their parents' faith to the local community."
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly Muslim converts to Christianity are targeted for persecution:
"In Iran, if you're part of a traditional Christian community, for instance, Armenian or Assyrian Christian, your faith is likely tolerated. But you will also be treated as a second-class citizen. In addition, you are not allowed to worship or read the Bible in Farsi, Iran's language, or have any contact with Christians who have converted from Islam. If you're caught supporting converts, you may be sent to prison.
"For Christians who convert from Islam, not even the veneer of tolerance is present. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in Iran, and anyone caught as a convert can be arrested and imprisoned. The government views conversion as an attempt by the West to undermine Islam and the Islamic government of Iran. This means that anyone who is discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security, which can lead to long prison sentences. Anyone arrested or detained can be tortured and abused while in jail. Some Christians are released and monitored—and know a second arrest would mean a long prison sentence.
"Christian converts who left Islam can also face pressure from their families and communities. Converts can lose their inheritance, unmarried Christians can be forced into marriage to a Muslim, and married believers may be forced to divorce or face losing their children."
Since the Biden administration abandoned the Afghan people to the Taliban in 2021, the persecution of Christians has been consistently rising in Afghanistan:
"When the Taliban came to power, they did so with pledges to recognize more freedoms than in the past. But that hasn't happened—if an Afghan's Christian faith is discovered, it can be a death sentence, or they can be detained and tortured into giving information about fellow believers. The surrounding society and family structure has no room for religious freedom, and the government upholds this rigid stance. This means Christians—almost all of whom are converts from Islam—must keep their faith secret, or they may simply disappear.
"Thousands of Afghan refugees live in countries bordering Afghanistan, often in poor conditions in camps for displaced people, and many Christians are among them."
The Open Doors report emphasizes the intense violence in Sub-Saharan Africa:
"Amid lawlessness, jihadist groups like al-Qaeda and Boko Haram have thrived. Weak governments fail to stop them. And militants attack Christian communities and churches with impunity.
"Most Christians murdered for their faith in 2023 were killed in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria accounted for nine out of 10 religiously-motivated murders. Christians were also killed in Congo (DRC), Burkina Faso, Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR).
"Many more Christians have also been forced from their homes. Of 34.5 million displaced people across Sub-Saharan Africa, around 16.2 million are Christians."
Meanwhile, the persecution of Christians in another Sub-Saharan country, Ethiopia, is ongoing. The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) reported in September 2023:
"In Ethiopia, the Amhara people, who are primarily an Orthodox Christian community, have been subjected to violent and systematic persecution for decades. Now, their situation just worsened, and the government has declared a state of emergency.
"The Amhara people have been subjected to persecution and systematic massacres since as early as 1991. Various groups, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the Oromo Liberation Army, and the currently leading Prosperity Party, have been accused of these crimes. The prevailing anti-Amhara sentiment is closely tied to an aversion to the Orthodox faith, as most of the Amhara people are Orthodox Christians.
"The human rights violations range from forced displacement and mass arrests to systematic massacres and ethnic cleansings. For instance, on June 18, 2022, the Amhara community in Wollega within the Oromia region of Ethiopia was brutally slaughtered in what is now called the Gimbi massacre. The victim count is between 400–500 people. The modus operandi involved extreme cruelty, including the burning alive of individuals and the mutilation of pregnant women."
According to the ECLJ:
"Our written statement to the U.N. contains more explicit details about the violence perpetrated and shows the religious motivation of the persecution, coupled with obvious racism. Government forces abstained from intervening, citing logistical constraints, thereby raising questions about their complicity or negligence."
The ECLJ report states:
"A distressing series of massacres—ranging from the Burayu massacre in 2018, the Shashemene massacre in 2019, to multiple incidents in 2020 and 2021 including the Mai Kadra, Metekel, Ataye, Chenna, Kombolcha, and Kobo massacres—bear testament to this ongoing crisis."
In August 2023, the ECLJ sent an urgent letter to the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu about the persecution in Ethiopia:
"The incident reports are profoundly disturbing. The nature of these acts covers a wide range of atrocities, from the disemboweling of pregnant women to the cannibalistic consumption of those killed. Such acts go beyond mere expressions of discontent or political dissent; they indicate a deeply rooted hatred that has been manipulated and mobilized to justify heinous crimes. This level of animus is fueled by a combination of historical grievances, political manipulation, social conditioning, and widespread hate speech which together create a toxic environment ripe for the perpetration of mass violence."
According to the Open Doors, one in seven Christians are persecuted worldwide and 1 in 5 Christians are persecuted in Africa. In 2023, thousands of Christians were murdered or detained for their faith, and thousands of churches and Christian properties were attacked. But many of these incidents remain unreported by the mainstream media.
Until the mainstream media, governments and international organizations start openly addressing the ideological and theological motives of the perpetrators, this worldwide, genocide-level persecution of Christians will likely increase.
Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
