A new report from a Christian advocacy group says Christianity continues to thrive and grow despite brutal repression and attempts by governments, groups and individuals around the world to stifle the faith.
The “Persecutors of the Year” 2023 report was released this month by the advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC).
The ICC report highlights the suffering of hundreds of millions of Christians in 10 of the world’s most persecuted countries. Despite this persecution, the report says faith is growing in some of the world’s most persecuting countries, such as Iran, China and Nigeria.
Iran
According to the report, the Islamic Republic of Iran has “one of the fastest growing churches in the world.”
Christians currently constitute only a small minority in Iran, between 500,000 and 800,000, according to the ICC report. Although the government, led by Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, enforces strict adherence to Sharia law, the ICC report says hundreds of thousands of Iranians “from all walks of life” have converted to Christianity.
Christian religious expression in the country is heavily restricted and converts to Christianity from Islam risk arrest, torture and execution.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is at the forefront of the government’s attempt to extinguish the light of faith in Iran, “is ruthless in its efforts to eradicate Christianity,” according to the report.
Additionally, ICC said a “biased” justice system targets Christians for practicing their faith and keeps them in “exceptionally harsh conditions,” including “extreme torture.”
Joseph Daniel, ICC regional director for the Middle East, said in the report that “for more than 40 years, the Iranian regime has persecuted Iranian Christians by banning Farsi Bibles, imprisoning religious leaders, and charging harm converts to Christianity from threats to national security.”
“But through it all,” Daniel continued, “God performs a miracle and the Iranian underground church continues to grow rapidly. »
China
In China, the report said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “demands that citizens worship the state, co-opting every possible religious structure to make it a mouthpiece for CCP propaganda.”
Despite the government’s attempts to control all religious expression and worship, the report says that Christianity in China, experienced primarily in underground religious communities, is “growing rapidly.”
Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, sanctions against those who live out their Christian faith have continued to increase. Amid the persecution, the report says there are now 70 to 100 million “underground Christians” who have refused to follow the CCP’s mandate to “worship the state”, choosing instead to risk their lives by following the Christ.
Nigeria
According to ICC, Nigeria is “arguably the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian today.”
Although Nigeria is almost 50 percent Christian, the country’s approximately 100 million Christians live under constant threat of torture, kidnapping and execution.
Extremely violent acts of persecution are commonplace for Nigerian Christians, according to the report. The difficulties facing Christians in the country are due to a combination of extremist groups and government targeting.
Radical Islamist groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State in West Africa, an offshoot of ISIS, and Fulani herdsmen continue to prey on the country’s large Christian population, despite promises from the government and claims that religious targeting has been resolved in the country.
The persecution has continued for decades now, with no signs of improvement in 2023. ICC President Jeff King said in the report that the government’s inaction on the persecution of Christians amounted to “aiding and abetting » the “genocide” of Christians in the country.
Although King said the violence “will only get worse unless the international community intervenes,” the report also said Christianity in Nigeria continues to grow in regional pockets.
CNA reported earlier this year that despite escalating persecution, Nigeria is by far the the largest mass attendance in the world.
Ninety-four percent of Catholics in Nigeria say they attend Mass at least once a week, according to a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
Mgr Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop of the Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria told CNA in June that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity”.
“Persecution is an integral part of being a Catholic,” Anagbe said. “But that doesn’t stop people’s faith.”
“We constantly continue to pray,” Anagbe said. “God will surely hear our prayers. This is why the Mass is so important and why we pray. We must trust God in the midst of this crisis.
“The Resilience of the Body of Christ”
The ICC has also highlighted the plight of Christians facing persecution in North Korea, India, Pakistan, Eritrea, Algeria, Indonesia and Azerbaijan, as well as some of the major persecuting groups and individuals such as the Taliban. , Jinping and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Although the goal of ICC’s annual report is to draw attention to the suffering of Christians around the world, King said it also “unveils the resilience of the body of Christ.”
King noted that “our brothers and sisters are being murdered, imprisoned or tortured all over the world, simply because they identify as followers of Jesus,” but he emphasized that these believers “cling on and even thrive in their faith while enduring unimaginable pain. »
