Open Doors USA released its annual World Watch List, in which 50 countries with the most severe persecution of Christians were listed. (Red: extreme persecution; orange: severe persecution; green: moderate persecution; blue: sparse persecution)
The year 2014 "will go down in history for having the highest level of global persecution of Christians in the modern era," according to a study released by Open Doors USA on Wednesday. Open Doors releases its World Watch List, which lists 50 countries in which Christian persecution has been most severe for the year, on an annual basis.
Currently, there are 100 million Christians who are persecuted, according to the study, and the five nations in which persecution was most severe in 2014 include North Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
North Korea has been at the top of the World Watch List for 13 consecutive years, Open Doors stated. Severe government regulation and opposition toward religious freedom lead thousands of Christians to be beaten, tortured, imprisoned, and executed.
"The god-like worship of the leader, Kim Jong-Un, and his predecessors, leaves little room for any other religions and Christians face unimaginable pressure in every sphere of life,” Open Doors stated.
The study further noted that there are currently 50,000 to 70,000 Christians who are imprisoned in labor camps, and that 10,000 North Koreans were executed in 2014.
Christians faced extreme persecution in the other four countries—Somalia, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan—due to the influence of Islamic extremism, and/or an Islamic government that prohibited the practice of any other religion.
"Islamic religious leaders maintain publicly that there is no room for Christianity, Christians, and churches in Somalia,” the study explained. “Islamic terrorists, in the form of al-Shabaab, as well as other radical Islamic groups, have intensified the persecution of Christians.”
In Iraq and Syria in particular, the Islamic State has affected the degree of religious persecution immensely, as the extremist militant group has taken over various portions of land in the two countries and enforced Sharia law on its residents, forcing thousands of Christians to flee from their homes.
Furthermore, Islamic extremism was listed as the main reason for severe religious persecution in 40 out of the 50 countries on the World Watch List. Groups including the Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, Hamas, and al-Qaeda have been particularly active in 2014 and have threatened, taken hostage, and gruesomely killed many individuals who were Christian and of other religious groups.
David Curry, the president and CEO of Open Doors USA, remarked that persecution is evident even in nations in which Christianity is considered a dominant religion, such as Colombia and Mexico, which ranked 35 and 38 on the World Watch List respectively.
“Even Christian-majority states are experiencing unprecedented levels of exclusion, discrimination, and violence,” said David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA.
“The 2015 World Watch List reveals that a staggering number of Christians are becoming victims of intolerance and violence because of their faith. They are being forced to be more secretive about their faith.”
