By not discussing international religious freedom at the G20 summit in Germany last weekend, world leaders failed to address the root cause of major global issues like the migrant crisis, says David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA.
As a result, “we can expect more violence from religious intolerance, a rise in extremism and related human tragedy”, Curry wrote in a piece for the Huffington post.
“Many of the individuals fleeing are doing so because they are targeted for their faith, such as the Christians and other religious minorities who have fled Iraq, Syria, Eritrea and other nations”, he wrote.
“It is widely known and acknowledged that without religious freedom and freedom of conscience, free societies are simply not sustainable. Freedom of religion is a bedrock of healthy societies.”
Curry pointed out that more than 75 per cent of the world’s population live in areas with limitations on religious freedom, while more than 215 million Christians, specifically, are persecuted for their faith.
Many of them live in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey: members of the G20 which also feature on the Open Doors World Watch List 2017 of nations where it is most difficult to live as a Christian.