Despite the ongoing evidence of the persecution of Christians in these Asian countries, the general indifference worldwide to the persecution of Christians continues, and is a scandal of immense and growing proportions. There is still no sustained or concerted effort by government authorities or international human rights organizations to stop this persecution. There is no country in the world today of which it can be said that while Christians were once persecuted there, now they live in safety and security.
Please continue to pray that the hearts of world leaders would be softened, and that they would finally be moved to act to end this scourge.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Asia and elsewhere, as well as the imminent disappearance of Christianity from some of its ancient strongholds, see here.
“Christians face a climate of fear in six Asian countries,” by Ben Joseph, UCA News, January 19, 2021:
Christians in six Asian countries live under extreme persecution where feudal, oligarchic, authoritarian and theocratic governments call the shots, says the latest report by a Christian advocacy group. The 2021 World Watch List, compiled by the US-based Christian advocacy group Open Doors, says North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Iran and India are hotbeds of Christian persecution in Asia.
These countries have been occupying positions ranging from first to 10th for global Christian persecution since 2015, according to the report released on Jan. 13.
Christians in these nations are harassed, discriminated against and put to death for their faith because the majority community and authoritarian governments view Christianity as a relic of white privilege and a symbol of Western colonialism, the group said.
Except in North Korea, where the communist party’s diktats run riot, governments in the other five countries are remote-controlled by hardliners and conservatives who fear that Christianity is always susceptible to external influences and use it as a ploy to mobilize the majority against the Christian minority, the report said.
Of late, violence in the form of abductions, forced conversions and sex attacks perpetrated against Christian women go unnoticed and unreported as the governments and law-enforcement agencies, including the legal system, openly appease the majoritarian mob.
Less surprisingly, in countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen, India and Pakistan, the fringe elements act as the mainstream and inflict horrific abuses on Christians, the report said.
Christians in the worst-hit Asian countries are holed up in harsh labor camps where forced labor, torture, persecution, starvation, rape, forced abortion and sexual violence have become the order of the day.
Moreover, extrajudicial killings are staged when it suits the fringe elements and governments to enter the good books of the majoritarian mob after molding the political narrative of the country to suit violence.
The intolerant governments in these countries use the legal route to target Christians and sweeping anti-conversion laws and notorious blasphemy laws are in force that come in handy against Christians.
Open Doors has been compiling the World Watch List since 2002 and awards countries scores based on violence levels.
Other countries in this year’s list are Somalia, Libya, Eritrea and Nigeria in Africa….
