Because of their faith, more than 360 million Christians were “heavily persecuted and discriminated once morest” around the world in 2021, according to
the annual report of the NGO Portes Ouvertes, published on Wednesday. The document reveals that Afghanistan is the worst-ranked country.
“Persecution is at an all-time high, in the context of a global health crisis, the coming to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the plunge into horror for Christian victims of jihadists in sub-Saharan Africa”, said Patrick Victor, director of Portes Ouvertes France and Belgium, during a press briefing.
A constant increase for nine years
This Protestant NGO publishes an annual “global index” of the persecution of Christians, listing all attacks, ranging from “discreet daily oppression” to “the most extreme violence”. Between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, “more than 360 million Christians” – Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Baptists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc., from 76 countries – were “heavily persecuted and discriminated once morest”. , compared to 340 million in 2020, she notes. The persecution has been steadily on the rise for nine years. In 2021, 5,898 Christians were killed, an increase of 24% compared to the previous year, when 4,761 cases were recorded. Eight out of ten Christians killed were in Nigeria.
In addition, the total number of churches closed, attacked, destroyed rose to 5,110 last year from 4,488 in 2020. China alone contributes to 59% of closures. This country “is now extending its undermining work discreetly by using the health crisis (…). The maneuver is simple (…): the churches are closed at the same time as the other places welcoming the public during the confinements. Then, the authorities take the opportunity to officially declare [leur] closure,” according to the NGO.
Nigeria and Pakistan, “sad champions”
Doors Open also notes a “44% increase in the number of Christians detained because of their faith” (4,277 cases recorded in 2020, 6,175 cases in 2021). India (1,310), Pakistan (at least 1,000 estimated detainees) and China (at least 1,000 estimated detainees) are the top three. Finally 3,829 Christians were kidnapped, according to the “cautious” estimates of the NGO. Nigeria and Pakistan are the “sad champions”. All persecution combined, Afghanistan topped this annual ranking, dethroning North Korea, in 2nd position. Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Eritrea and Nigeria follow. In Afghanistan, the persecution took “a new dimension with the seizure of power by the Taliban”, says the NGO.
“The Taliban have obtained documents allowing the identification of certain converts to Christianity. They actively sought them out. Converted men are killed on the spot, women or girls raped, or forcibly married off to young Taliban,” said Guillaume Guennec, another Portes Ouvertes official. According to him, difficult to know “how many were killed, but it is disproportionate to previous years”. The NGO also warns of the situation in India, where “Hindu extremists use social networks (…) to spread false information and calls for violence once morest religious minorities”, contributing to the “climate of intolerance “. Portes Ouvertes, a partner of Open Doors International, has existed in France since 1976.
