Persecution of Christians Worldwide Intensifies – Open Doors 2016 World Watch List

Jan 18, 2016 2257

• North Korea ranked at number one
• Islamic Extremism the major cause of persecution
• Persecution increased the most in Eritrea
• Religious intolerance in India continues to increase

A church overlooks smoke rising from the frontline with IS.

North Korea ranks number one for the 14th consecutive year in the Open Doors World Watch List, ranking the top 50 countries that persecute Christians. The Hermit Kingdom has ranked number one again as leader Kim Jong Un continues to try and stamp out organised religion in what he views as a challenge to his power.

A church in Indonesia burns after an attack in October.

Women and children rescued from Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Although North Korea tops the list, the major source of persecution identified in 36 of the 50 countries on the list is Islamic Extremism. For this reason Iraq has been ranked second in the World Watch List. Since the late 1990’s the Christian population in Iraq has shrunk from over 1.5 million to less than 220,000.  Of the Christians who remain most are displaced in the north east of the country, as a result of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The group has executed many for refusing to convert to their brand of Islam and forced many others to flee. The group still hold large swathes of territory in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria, also appearing in the list and ranked at number five.

Christians protest after a church attack in Delhi, India.

While much attention has been given to the self-styled caliphate of the Islamic State, the world’s most dangerous terrorist organisation[1], Boko Haram, has also impacted rankings. Gaining notoriety after the kidnapping of over 200 School girls in Chibok, the group is responsible for more murders over the last 12 months than the Islamic State. Boko Haram’s insurgency has resulted in a rank at number 12 for Nigeria, where the group is based and a rank of 49 in Niger due to cross-border attacks.

Eritrean streetscape.

Number three on the World Watch List is Eritrea, labelled by many as ‘the North Korea of Africa’ the small nation broke away from Ethiopia in 1991 in a bloody civil war. Since this time president Afewerki has maintained a brutal and oppressive reign imprisoning anyone considered to be a dissenter, Eritrea saw the largest score increase in this year’s list. Afghanistan appears at number four and has been battling a continued insurgency from the Taliban. Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Iran and Libya round out the top ten.

While much attention is given to Islamic Extremism in the media, other forms of persecution such as Hindu extremism in India, have also risen sharply. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticised for largely ignoring violence towards religious minorities. Christians have suffered particularly through forced conversion ceremonies. Reportedly in some circumstances these ceremonies were on a scale of up to 400 people at a time, occurring in areas near the city of Varanasi. India this year ranks at number 17.

The 2016 World Watch List has also revealed a continued escalation of hostility towards Christians worldwide. Analysts working for Open Doors who compile the list have said that scores have increased on average by two and a half points while the entry score for the list has increased by three points.

This link will take you to profiles on each of the countries on the list, or click on the map below.

[1] Global Terrorism Index 2015, Institute for Economics and Peace