Open Doors report reveals staggering number of Christians persecuted in 2021
Newsroom (January 20, 2022, 10:00 PM, Gaudium Press) The annual report of the evangelical NGO Open Doors on persecution against Christians in 2021 announced the staggering number of 360 million persecuted.
Deaths, arrests, temples destroyed.
Between October 2020 and September 2021, the report counted more than 360 million violently persecuted and discriminated Christians around 100 countries. The report includes people of various religious denominations: Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.
The document also shows the number of Christians killed: 5,898 versus 4,761 cases recorded in the 2020 report. It is important to note that out of every 10 Christians murdered, 8 were Nigerians.
The number of incarcerations increased 44% from the previous year: 4,277 cases in 2020 and 6,175 cases in 2021; 3,829 Christians were kidnapped, an average of 10 per day.
Churches were also counted. 5,110 churches or temples were destroyed, attacked, or closed.
List of the countries that most persecute Christians
Afghanistan turned out to be the country most hostile to Christians. For 20 years North Korea has held the position of “worst country for Christians,” but this year it lost out to Afghanistan. This is due to the fact that the Taliban Islamist group has regained power and unleashed new religious persecution in the country.
After Afghanistan is North Korea, followed by Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Eritrea, and Nigeria. Another country of particular concern is India. A country where, in the last nine months alone, attacks on Christian communities have increased 300%.
The Open Doors report has been published annually since 1993. Since then, the study reveals that persecution has only increased, especially in the last 9 years. (FM)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
