It’s a number that sends shivers down the spine. According to the NGO Portes Ouvertes, which has published an annual “world index” of the persecution of Christians, more than 360 million Christians have been heavily persecuted and discriminated against because of their faith in 2021. According to the index, 86% of Christians killed last year were on African soil.
The report made public on Wednesday January 19 reveals that Afghanistan is at the top of the ranking and overtakes North Korea, returning the communist country to second position. ” Persecution reaches record high amid global health crisis, Taliban rise to power in Afghanistan and horror for Christian victims of jihadists in sub-Saharan Africa said Patrick Victor, director of Portes Ouvertes France and Belgium, during a press briefing.
The two main causes of the persecutions are linked to Islamism and Communism.
A situation that has been getting worse for nine years
Between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, more than 360 million Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Baptists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc.), from 76 countries, were ” persecuted and discriminated against “, against 340 million in 2020, reported the NGO.
In 2021, 5,898 Christians were killed, or 16 Christians per day. A figure up 24% compared to the previous year. Eight out of ten Christians have been in Nigeria.
In addition, 6,175 Christians are now in detention because of their faith, an increase of 44% compared to last year. India, Pakistan and China, between them, have imprisoned half of the Christians detained for their religion.
3,829 Christians were kidnapped, according to estimates “ prudent ” long. Nigeria and Pakistan are the ” sad champions ».
A healthy health crisis
In addition, the total number of churches closed, attacked, destroyed rose to 5,110 last year, compared to 4,488 in 2020. China alone contributes to 59% of closures. The communist country now extends its undermining work discreetly using the health crisis […] The maneuver is simple […] : churches are closed at the same time as other places open to the public during confinement. Then, the authorities take the opportunity to officially declare [leur] closing “, according to the NGO.
The Chinese Communist Party also uses the arrest of clergy to control the Church, as evidenced by the arrests, rather publicized, last May of several priests and seminarians around the city of Xinxiang.
The health situation has served as a useful pretext for the authorities who are using new technologies known as the fight against the spread of the virus to further control the churches and the faithful.
“A silence, even a political, media and diplomatic denial”
Eleven countries, in extreme persecution (from 81 to 100 points), are in the red zone: Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran , India and Saudi Arabia. If North Korea was for twenty years the country at the top of the ranking, the communist country is this year in second position, Afghanistan having observed a significant increase in violence against Christians. The persecution took a new dimension with the takeover of the Taliban “, supports the NGO.
« The Taliban have obtained documents allowing the identification of certain converts to Christianity. They actively sought them out. Male converts are killed on the spot, women or girls raped, or forcibly married off to young Taliban said Guillaume Guennec, another Portes Ouvertes manager. According to him, it is difficult to know how many were killed, but this is out of all proportion to previous years ».
If Portes Ouvertes hopes for a global boost and urges the authorities to take their responsibilities in order to act, on a global scale, against this scourge, journalist Charlotte d’Ornellas denounced on CNEWS ” a silence, even a political, media and diplomatic deniale” on persecuted Christians around the world.
“A silence […] at the same time political, media, diplomatic” on persecuted Christians, according to Charlotte d’Ornellas in #Facealinfo pic.twitter.com/Pwm3ozbRDL
— CNEWS (@CNEWS) January 20, 2022