The Genocide No One Talks About
21.01.2019
The persecutions against Christians increased in 2018 in the world for the sixth consecutive year, according to the NGO Puertas Abiertas, which has published its annual index.
This Protestant organization analyzes the situation of Christians who are victims of oppression, discrimination and even murders in 50 countries of the world.
In total, 245 million Christians - Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Baptists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, expatriate Christians, converts - are persecuted, which equates to 1 of 9 Christians, compared to 1 of 12 in the last year.
The number of Christians killed increased from 3,066 to 4,305 between November 2017 and October 2018, an increase of 40%. "The index reveals a persecution against Christian minorities that increases from year to year," writes Michel Varton, director of Open Doors Organization.
What is striking is that Africa has become the center of violence against Christians with 4,165 deaths. Only Nigeria had 3,731 murders "(compared to 2,000 in 2017). This country faces a double threat - the jihadist group Boko Haram, which is "increasingly violent", and the Peuls shepherds, who systematically attack Christian villages.
However, it is North Korea that once again leads this annual ranking. But the number of deaths in this country is unknown due to the lack of "reliable data". The NGO says that tens of thousands of Christians are locked up in forced labor camps.
The NGO also warns about the situation in Mexico, where "criminal organizations and drug cartels attack Christians because they consider the churches as sources of income" and in Colombia, a country where according to this organization "criminal groups threaten Christians who oppose their authority and often force them to pay a tax for their protection. "
Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, India, Syria, are on the list of countries where "extreme persecution" occurs.
The NGO considers that "Islamic extremism" is "an important factor in the persecution of Christians in 38 of the 50 countries of the index", especially Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
In one year, "the number of churches attacked, damaged or burned (...) almost doubled, from 793 to 1,847", while "the number of Christians detained increased from 1,905 to 3,150" in the same period.
