The survey, conducted by Open Doors, an organisation working to help persecuted Christians and churches worldwide, highlights the top 50 countries where it is most difficult to live as a Christian. The report found that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws continue to be abused to settle personal scores, particularly against minorities, including Christians.
“A pregnant woman and her husband were thrown into the kiln where they worked and burned to death after being accused of blasphemy, orphaning their four children. Two churches in Lahore were bombed, killing 25 people and wounding dozens. An estimated 700 Christian girls and women are abducted every year, and often then raped and forcibly married to Muslims,” the report adds.
The list ranks North Korea as the most oppressive place in the world to live as a Christian. It adds that in 2015, persecution grew most rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa, while in the Middle East, Islamic State violence increased the migration of the Christian population from the region. The index measures the degrees of freedom that Christians have to express their faith in six spheres – private, family, community, national and church life, while also measuring levels of violence.
Full rankings of the levels of persecution are as follows:
Extreme
North Korea
Iraq
Eritrea
Afghanistan
Syria
Pakistan
Somalia
Sudan
Iran
Very High
Libya
Yemen
Nigeria
Maldives
Saudi Arabia
Uzbekistan
Kenya
India
Ethiopia
Turkmenistan
Vietnam
Qatar
Egypt
Myanmar
Palestinian Territories
Brunei
High
Central African Republic
Jordan
Djibouti
Laos
Malaysia
Tajikistan
Tunisia
China
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Tanzania
Algeria
Bhutan
Comoros
Mexico
Kuwait
Kazakhstan
Indonesia
Mali
Turkey
Colombia
United Arab Emirates
Bahrain
Niger
Oman
Source Page: Independent
