In 2022, the UK Parliament reported that over 360 million Christians worldwide experienced some level of persecution. This was up over 20 million from 2021, but this problem is currently underreported in the mass media. Raising awareness of this issue is something that every Christian should be concerned about, but what can be done?
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Worst Countries for Christian Persecution
Christianity Today ranked the 50 most dangerous countries where Christians are likely to experience persecution. The top 10 from this list were:
- North Korea
- Afghanistan
- Somalia
- Libya
- Pakistan
- Eritrea
- Yemen
- Iran
- Nigeria
- India
Christians living in these countries are under a daily threat for their faith. Nigeria has Africa’s largest Christian population and is ranked number nine on the list. It ranks number one in the number of Christians killed for their religious practice, making it one of the most dangerous for Christians. After almost a decade, China has once again joined this list for excessive surveillance and censorship of Christians and other minorities.
Christians in these countries face everything from social to governmental pressures. Deaths for practicing the Christian faith rose by 60% between 2020 and 2021 to 4,761. China jailed 1,147 Christians without charge for faith-based reasons. Nearly 4,277 faced this same dilemma worldwide. Worldwide forced closures and attacks on churches rose to 4,488. These numbers tell a grim tale, but many people in developed nations never hear about it in the news.
Reasons Behind the Lack of Representation in the Media
The Christianity Today report found that the reasons for persecution differed by country. Those living in countries that were dominated by those of the Muslim faith made a majority of the worst of the countries for persecution. In some cases, dictatorial leaders fear Christianity and see it as a threat to their power. Religious nationalism is another common cause of Christian persecution. This is especially the case in Asian nations. Organized crime also tends to target Christians in Columbia and Mexico.
Many reasons were found for targeting Christians in high-risk countries, but why is the media silent about it? One reason might be that many of these countries are not friendly to the media, especially those from other countries. In many of these countries, the state censors or even forbids reporting of these events. In some cases, foreign reporters could be risking their lives to report these events. Consequently, many of the countries on the top list for media censorship are also at the top of the list for Christian Persecution.
- Eritea
- North Korea
- Turkmenistan
- Saudi Arabia
- China
Making Christian Voices Heard
Censorship and state control of the media is one of the key challenges in getting the word out about the plight of Christians in these countries, but it might also be a lack of interest by the media channels. The media is driven by ratings, and ratings encourage investors to spend more advertising dollars. This means that if a topic does not spark the interest of the public, then the media is not as likely to run stories on it. This is where organizations like Global Christian Relief can help.
It is important to help get the word out about the desperate lives of many fellow Christians. Supporting organizations that provide food and basic needs is important, but without public awareness, these efforts are limited. One thing that can be done to help increase awareness is to contact local media and let them know that this is a topic that deserves attention. It is no different than any other human rights issue.
Providing support to organizations that help Christians who have been displaced, lack food and shelter, or need other support is one way that you can help. Another is to become involved in these groups and join in the campaign to help let those in developed nations know about the scope of the problem. By working together, it is possible to raise media attention and awareness of the problem so that more people can be reached who are willing to reach out a helping hand.
Danish Ali is a Blogger of Digital Marketer at M.Steel industry. Where he has spent 4+ years growing client accounts. With 5+ years of experience in public relations and marketing, He loves talking about content creation, SEO, and blogging.