WITNEY, ENGLAND —Open Doors has revealed that Afghanistan has replaced North Korea as the most dangerous country to be a Christian in their 2022 World Watch List.
Christian men are facing almost certain death if their faith is discovered.
Women and girls may escape death but may be married to young Taliban fighters who want “spoils of war”. When women and girls are raped, they will be trafficked.
The incoming Taliban government gained access to recordings and reports that helped to identify Christians inside the country. When located, they were often detained, to identify further networks of Christians, before finally being killed.
Taliban fighters are actively tracking down Christians from existing intelligence, even going door-to-door to find them.
Much of the Christian population has fled to rural regions or refugee camps in neighbouring nations – all of which feature in the WWL as countries hostile to Christians.
Afghanistan is now the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, according to figures released by Open Doors in their 2022 World Watch List (WWL).
The report paints a shocking picture of life for Afghanistan’s small, deeply hidden, Christian population. Henrietta Blyth is CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland.
Henrietta Blyth – CEO Open Doors UK & Ireland:
They are literally in some parts of the country going door to door to find Christians and if they find them the men tend to be tortured to give names of others in the church and then killed.
Blyth says the fall of Kabul has fueled violence by many other jihadist groups worldwide particularly in West Africa.
Henrietta Blyth:
Nigeria remains the country where there are the most deaths of Christians. Last year 4,650 Christians were killed in Nigeria.
And Open Doors found that over 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith – a rise of 20 million from the previous year.
About Open Doors UK
For over 60 years, Open Doors UK has worked in the world’s most oppressive countries, empowering Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. Open Doors equips persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries through programs like Bible & Gospel Development, Women & Children Advancement, and Christian Community Restoration.
Read more news on Religious Freedom and Christian Persecution on Missions Box.
Sources:
- Global News Alliance, Afghanistan the most dangerous place to be a Christian
- Open Doors UK, Official Website