Countries

Nigeria

The Nigerian army has had some success subduing Islamist group Boko Haram, but Christians are still being killed in Nigeria. Many of the killings are carried out by nomadic Hausa-Fulani herdsmen, a largely Muslim ethnic group that frequently targets the more settled Christian farming communities of central Nigeria. Meanwhile, 12 . . . Read More

North Korea

The Kim dynasty, which has ruled North Korea for three generations, are worshipped like gods, and any suggestion that there is a higher authority than the nation’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, is immediately crushed. Tens of thousands of Christians are incarcerated in labour camps. Thousands more keep their Christian faith a . . . Read More

Oman

Most Omanis practise a form of Islam called Ibadism. The Constitution provides for religious freedom, but while apostasy is not a criminal offence, neither is it respected by the legal system, which assumes all citizens are Muslims. Those who leave Islam are shunned by society, and Muslims who convert to . . . Read More

Pakistan

Some of the world’s most widely-known cases of anti-Christian pressure and violence have arisen in Pakistan, a country whose founder promoted religious freedom. Asia Bibi’s case prompted international condemnation of Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws but there are still dozens of Christians and others on death row for blasphemy. Meanwhile, several churches . . . Read More

Palestinian Territories

Christians who come from a Muslim background live under high pressure. In Gaza, although Christians are largely tolerated by the militant Islamist party, Hamas, their rights are neither upheld nor protected, and it is almost impossible to build and register Protestant churches. In the West Bank, under the ruling Fatah . . . Read More

Peru

Non-Catholic Christians make up about 13 per cent of the population, and according to the US State Department they report no restrictions or harassment on account of their faith. They do, however, complain that Peru’s favouritism towards the Catholic Church, which claims 81 per cent of the population, restricts their . . . Read More

Philippines

Since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016, much of the world’s attention towards the Philippines has been on Duterte’s take-no-prisoners war on drugs, which has resulted in thousands of deaths. The campaign has overshadowed the country’s long-standing struggle with the Islamist-led independence movement on the southern island of Mindanao, where . . . Read More

Qatar

Under Qatar’s strict Wahhabi Islam, converting from Islam to any other religion carries the death penalty. Seen as apostates, Christians from a Muslim background are at serious risk if they openly practise their faith. Outward symbols of Christianity are banned in Qatar, as is evangelism. Around 80 per cent of . . . Read More

Russia

Although Russia is a secular state with an atheist past, the regime favours the Russian Orthodox Church, which can mean problems for other denominations. Non-traditional Protestant churches are accused by the Russian Orthodox Church of stealing their members. Since 2011, several legal restrictions have shown a trend towards greater state . . . Read More

Rwanda

Rwanda is part of East Africa’s “authoritarian drift”, according to Freedom House. The press and political activism are tightly restricted, and civil society is weak, according to Human Rights Watch. By 2014 and the 20th anniversary of the 1994 genocide, hardly a critical word was to be heard in the . . . Read More