Which Countries Are the Most Dangerous for Christians?

North Korea’s flag
The Open Doors website has published a World Watch List of the 50 most dangerous places to be a Christian. From that report comes an article entitled “The 10 Most Dangerous Places to Be a Christian.” The last ten years have seen the persecution of Christians in the world increase by 25%; 380 million Christians are said to face “severe persecution or discrimination because of their faith,” or “1 in 7 Christians in the world.”
The greater report lists the 50 countries that persecute Christians the most.
1. North Korea
The one that tops this sad list is, unsurprisingly, North Korea. “If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you could be killed on the spot.” Christians can be deported to a labor camp, which few of them survive, and treated as a political criminal or killed on the spot. The North Korean authorities are likely to round up you extended family and punish them too, even if your family members aren’t Christians.
In early 2024, the government announced tougher laws and crackdowns after 47 teenagers (30 under 17) were executed.
2. Somalia
Almost all Christians in Somalia are of Muslim origin, and converting to Christianity is life-threatening. Al-Shabaab, “a violent Islamist militant group, is committed to eradicating Christianity from Somalia,” particularly focusing “on finding and eliminating Christian leaders.” Believers are also persecuted by their communities and families, with rejection of Muslim identity seen as a betrayal that affects the entire family.
Just being suspected of converting from Islam to Christianity can put a believer’s life in danger. They can be placed under house arrest, forced into marriage, subjected to forced Islamic rituals, or threatened in their life. But a Christian who is discovered can also be killed on the spot.
3. Yemen
In a country torn apart by civil war, life is difficult for everyone in Yemen. But it is especially difficult for Christians. The country is now divided into territories ruled by three different powers, including Al-Qaeda. Yemen’s official constitution upholds Sharia law and no freedom of religion.
“If someone is reported to be a Christian and or involved in Christian activities, they could face severe monitoring, arbitrary detention, torture, and even murder. In Houthi-controlled areas, it’s dangerous to own a Bible or other Christian books.
“Leaving Islam to follow Christ is seen as a huge betrayal of your native tribe—punishment by the community can include being disowned, disinherited, divorced and losing custody of their children, being banished or even murdered.”
4. Libya
Due to lawlessness and extremism, no part of Libya is safe for believers. Christians who convert from Islam face violent pressure from their families and communities to renounce their faith.
Foreign Christians, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa, are targeted by Islamist militant and criminal groups, who kidnap and sometimes kill them. Christians who express their faith openly or try to share it with others risk arrest and violence. The absence of a central government makes the situation even more dangerous.
The country’s East-West divide continues, and extremist groups are increasingly integrated into government control forces. Libya remains a deeply dangerous and unstable place for Christians.
5. Sudan
Since the 2023 coup and ensuing civil war, Sudan has become home to the world’s largest internally displaced population and hunger crisis, with nearly 9 million people forced to flee their homes. Neither side in the conflict is sympathetic to Christians, and the unrest has allowed Islamists to further target them.
More than 100 churches have been damaged and Christians have been abducted and killed. “Sudanese Christians who have come to faith from a Muslim background face severe backlash from their families and communities. These believers tend to keep their faith secret, even from their own children.”
Christians also face unique challenges in the hunger crisis, as local communities discriminate against them and refuse to support them.
After Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Mali, China... the list closes with Jordan, the fiftieth country named.
(Source : Open Doors – FSSPX.Actualités)
Illustration : ID 340936760 © Dmitrii Melnikov | Dreamstime.com