Christians today face worse persecution than at any time in history, yet the UN and the international community are largely ignoring them, a new report says.
Looking at 13 countries where Christians face the worst abuses, the study published by Charity group, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), released on Thursday, found the outlook has worsened in all of them with the one exception being Saudi Arabia ‘where the situation was already so bad it could scarcely get any worse’.
This report titled ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’ accuses the international community of failing to respond adequately to the violence, stating: “Governments in the West and the UN failed to offer Christians in countries such as Iraq and Syria the emergency help they needed as genocide got underway.”
“If Christian organisations and other institutions had not filled the gap, the Christian presence could already have disappeared in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.”
John Pontifex, spokesman for the charity and editor of the report said: ‘In terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed and their impact, it is clear that the persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history.
As well as Iraq and Syria, Christians are under increasing threat in several major Islamic countries, as well as under authoritarian regimes such as North Korea and Eritrea.
John Pontifex, who edited the report, said: “In terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed and their impact, it is clear that the persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history.
“Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution.”
Researchers focused on 13 countries, providing an overview of the state of religious freedom for the country’s various denominations.
In China, for example, Christians have come under increasing pressure as authorities try to force their religion to conform to Communist ideals. More than 2,000 churches have been demolished in the coastal province of Zhejiang, and police are still routinely detaining clergy.
Extremism is also a growing problem in Africa – particularly in Nigeria where Boko Haram have displaced more than 1.8 million.
Additional Reporting by Christian Today.
