The persecution of Christians around the world increased during the Covid pandemic, with followers being denied aid in many countries, authoritarian governments intensifying surveillance and Islamic militants exploiting the crisis, a report said.
More than 340 million Christians – one in eight – have high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their faith, according to the 2021 World Watch List compiled by the Christian advocacy group Open Doors.
It says there was a 60% increase over the previous year in the number of Christians killed because of their faith. More than nine out of ten of the global total of 4,761 deaths were in Africa.
“The growing persecution of Christians around the world should bother us all,” said David Landrum, head of advocacy for Open Doors UK and Ireland. “Religious freedom is what underlies many other human rights and civil liberties. Oppressive governments know this, and they are taking advantage of the pandemic crisis to turn the screw on Christians. ”
The World Watch List lists 50 countries in which Christians experience persecution and discrimination, with North Korea in the first place as in the past 20 years.
China has re-entered the top 20 for the first time in a decade, and India and Turkey have also reported an increase in government authoritarianism and nationalism.
According to the report, Christians in many African and Asian countries have been denied Covid-related assistance – sometimes by government officials, but more often by mayors or committees. In Kaduna, Nigeria, families from several villages reported receiving one-sixth of the rations awarded to Muslim families.
In China, the government has stepped up oversight, with face recognition systems installed in state-approved churches in some areas and online services being monitored. The government’s campaign to “sinisate” Christianity has meant that crosses and other Christian images have been replaced with photos of President Xi Jinping and national flags, and communist officials who have elected church leaders, the report said.
In India, the Hindu nationalist government promoted a climate in which attacks and harassment of Christians and Muslims increased. Foreign funding of hospitals, schools and church organizations run by Christians has been blocked.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, Christians have faced 30% higher levels of violence than last year from Islamic militant groups that have taken advantage of locks and governments weakened by the crisis, the report said. In Nigeria, the number of Christians killed has almost tripled to 3,800 recorded deaths.
Among the positive developments were Sudan’s new constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion and that Islam was no longer specified as a state religion; and in northern Iraq, Muslim volunteers are repairing destroyed churches and houses to encourage Christians to return to the area.
Open Doors has published its World Watch List every year since 2002. It gives countries scores based on levels of violence, along with persecution in private, family, community, civil and church life.