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A new report has been released showcasing places across the globe where Christian persecution is expected to get worse this year, 2022.
Countries of growing concern include Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, India and North Korea.
Published by Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world, the new report stated that Islamist extremists are gaining ground in Africa’s Sahel region and Afghanistan.
The Sahel region in Africa includes Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.
Last year, Christian advocacy group Open Doors, revealed that more than 340 million Christians across the globe – which is one in eight – face high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
“In 2022, there is a very real threat of higher levels of violent persecution in Afghanistan,” said the CEO of Release International, Paul Robinson, referring to the Taliban’s takeover of the South Asian country.
“Our partners tell us that Christians who are unable to follow the outward forms of Islam, such as praying at the mosque and saying the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith, will stand out more clearly,” he added. “This increases their vulnerability to persecution and the pressure on them to conform.”
The new report explains that in India, “attacks against Christians are rising and more states are imposing anti-conversion laws.”
“Hindu nationalism is on the rise in India. Militant Hindus have called for religious conversion from Hinduism to be made illegal across the country,” the report notes.
According to United Christian Forum for Human Rights, 2021 was the most violent year for the Christian minority in India since the country’s Independence in 1947. The number of violent attacks on Christians rose nearly 75% to 486 in 2021, up from 279 in 2020,
“The situation facing Christians in Burkina Faso is now similar to Nigeria,” a partner of the organisation said in the new report.
Suspected Jihadists in Burkina Faso targeted Christians in the north of the country in 2021, forcing churches to close and meet in secret. The report revealed that the attacks ranged from bombings, killings, kidnappings and school burnings to assaults on religious leaders and places of worship.
In 2021, a report revealed that at least 3,462 Christians, including ten priests or pastors, were murdered in Nigeria in the first 200 days of the year. At a structural level, close to 300 churches were threatened or attacked and closed or destroyed or burnt.
Will these attacks take the edge off 2022? Release International warns that attacks on Christians could escalate in Nigeria this year, as political campaigning gets underway ahead of the 18 February 2023 general election.
The report explained that attacks on Christians by Boko Haram and Fulani extremists have increased over election periods in the past across the county.
A partner of the charity was quoted as saying, “the attacks by the Fulani now include kidnappings for ransom. Churches, church leaders and Christian communities remain the primary targets.”
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