The UK Open Doors report: Christian persecution rises across the world

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA)- Persecution against Christians is getting worse around the world.

The UK charity Open Doors annual World Watch list, an annual ranking of the countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian, says one in seven Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, representing 365 million people.

Five years ago, the figure was one in nine. The worst country is North Korea, followed by Somalia, Libya, Yemen and Eritrea.

It says sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 90 per cent of the estimated 5,000 believers killed for their faith worldwide and warns that Christian communities could disappear through violent instability and authoritarian control.

Christians are killed in Nigeria as Islamist extremists capitalise on regional instability. Two-thirds of all attacks and closures of churches and public Christian properties were in China.

Other countries on the list include Syria, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.  Open Doors began from Brother Andrew’s visits to underground churches in eastern Europe from 1955-67, when he smuggled in Bibles to help Christians meeting in secret.