After two decades at the top of Open Door’s list of the world’s worst persecutors, North Korea was displaced by Afghanistan—but not because the situation in North Korea improved for Christians.
Open Doors, an organization focused on supporting persecuted Christians globally, released on Jan. 19 its 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.
Afghanistan bumped North Korea from the No. 1 spot on the list because after the Taliban took control of the government, its targeted persecution of Christians forced many of them to leave their homes and go into hiding, said David Curry, CEO of Open Doors.
“The 2022 World Watch List reveals the most seismic change in the history of our research,” Curry said in an online news conference. “But I want to be absolutely clear. North Korea has not gotten better. Afghanistan has gotten worse.”
During the online event, Open Doors presented excerpts from a recorded interview with a refugee who said being a Christian in Afghanistan means being “the first target for the Taliban.”
“If they find out about you, it’s like a death warrant for you,” he said.
Open Doors bases its rankings on interviews and research that focus on Christians’ ability to practice faith in five spheres of life—in private, family, community, the nation and the church—as well as the risk of violence. Numerical points are assigned in each category, and the total score determines where a country ranks on the World Watch List.
This year, Afghanistan earned a score of 98; North Korea followed closely in the No. 2 spot with a score of 96.
Rounding out the top 10 in order are Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran and India. Open Doors noted North Korea not only has continued to close house churches and arrest Christians, but also passed a law prohibiting “reactionary thought” and banning the Bible among other “foreign-published materials.”
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Saudi Arabia ranks No. 11 on the World Watch List, followed by Myanmar, Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Maldives, China, Qatar, Vietnam and Egypt.
Between November 2020 and September 2021, Open Doors reported more than 350 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution or discrimination. Globally, one in seven Christians worldwide suffer high or extreme levels of persecution or discrimination due to their faith.
Based on research, Curry identified trends:
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Expansion of religious extremism.
“Today, religious extremists and the governments they control or influence lead the World Watch List,” Curry said.
Open Doors noted 7 of the top 10 countries on its World Watch List experience radical Islam, and millions of Christians in nations on the list are at risk due to religious extremism.
“Islamic extremism was galvanized by the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan,” Curry said.
Emboldened Islamist extremists resulted not only in intense persecution of Christians, but also increased danger for other religious minorities and for women, he added.
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Authoritarian regimes that use technology to repress freedom.
Open Doors particularly cited China for using enhanced technology to place a “high-tech noose” around the neck of individuals who practice their religion and on any dissidents who voice criticism of the central government.
Curry applauded the Biden administration for its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in China, but he called for an expanded boycott. He urged individual Christians and other people of faith to “starve China of attention” by not watching the Winter Olympics.
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Violence rising from tribal and nationalist religious extremism.
Open Doors identified Nigeria as the most violent place in the world for Christians and Sub-Saharan Africa as the region where the most Christians are attacked for their faith.
Curry criticized the U.S. Department of State for bowing to “political pressure” by removing Nigeria from its list of Countries of Particular Concern last November.
“The Nigerian country has totally failed its people,” Curry said.
During the reporting period, 5,898 Christians globally were killed for their faith, a 24 percent increase over the previous year. Nigeria accounted for nearly 8 out of 10 of those deaths, with 4,650 recorded killings.
Open Doors also reported 5,110 churches or Christian buildings attacked, 4,765 Christians detained for their faith, and 3,829 Christians abducted for faith-related reasons.
Even so, Curry pointed out his organization’s research revealed examples of places where Christianity continues to grow and mature, in spite of persecution.
“There is hope, even in great darkness,” he said.
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