Article: What do you think about all the religious persecutions around the world?

Question

Faith Under Fire
North Korea's attacks on Christians unabated*
50 worst persecutors include Syria, described by Rick Warren as 'moderate'
Posted: February 9, 2007

North Korea's city of Pyongyang, a mission field for Christians

North Korea, where tens of thousands of Christians are kept in prison
camps and tortured, many times to death, remains the No. 1 nation in the
world for persecuting believers, according to a new report from Open
Doors USA.

Less than two weeks ago there were reports that four Christians had been
executed in North Korea because of their Christian faith. One incident
involved a woman and her grandmother who were washing clothes when a New
Testament fell out of the woman's clothing. Both she and her grandmother
were executed for that offense.

And the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom repeatedly
has recommended the U.S. Department of State list North Korea as among
its "countries of particular concern" for its "egregious and systematic
human rights violations" including policies that disallow any Christian
faith.

"It is certainly not a surprise that North Korea remains No. 1. There is
no other country in the world where Christians are being persecuted in
such a horrible and systematic manner," said Carl Moeller, president of
Open Doors USA.

He said the organization is sponsoring a Prayer Campaign specifically
for Christians in North Korea, and will hold a North Korea Freedom Week
in April to publicize how Christians in free parts of the world can help.

In 2006 a series of reports on Christian persecution in North Korea,
including reports from those who have worked inside the restricted
nation, reports from those who risk their lives by going into North
Korea to minister, those who see the Christians' testimony and are drawn
to it, and those who have died in their Christian witness.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia and Maldives also were listed by Open Doors
in the top five, a list that was unchanged from the organization's World
Watch List from 2006. Yemen, which was No. 8 a year ago, Bhutan (No. 6),
Vietnam (No. 7), Laos (No. 9) and Afghanistan (No. 11) are in positions
6-10, the group said.

The conditions for Christians deteriorated in 2006 in countries like
Uzbekistan, Eritrea, Comora, Iraq, northern Nigeria, Algeria,
Mauritania, Turkey, Ethiopia and northeast Kenya, the report said.

"In No. 21 Iraq, there were reports of increased violence specifically
targeted at Christians in addition to the daily violence. Iraq's
Christian population is estimated to have dropped below 450,000, half
the size in 1991," the report said.
The situation in Syria, ranked No. 45 and described overall as having
"some limitations" on Christianity, the fourth-most severe category in
the report, became an issue in 2006 when Pastor Rick Warren of the
megachurch Saddleback Church in California was quoted by the official
government-sponsored news agency in Syria as praising the government there.

The comments by Warren, which also were documented on a videotape posted
briefly in the Internet, came as he visited that Middle East nation, and
arrived first from SANA, the Syrian Arab News Agency.

He was quoted by the Syrian media and said on the Internet video that
the Middle Eastern home base for terrorism is a "moderate" nation.

Warren reported Christianity and Judaism both are legal, and Christians
enjoy some privileges even Muslims don't receive within a governmental
structure that formally allows for faith in Christ and adherence to the
Torah.

According to SANA, Warren said "many Americans don't realize that both
Christianity and Judaism are legal in Syria. In addition, the government
provides free electricity and water to all churches; allows pastors to
purchase a car tax-free (a tax break not given to Muslim imams);
appoints pastors as Christian judges to handle Christian cases; and
allows Christians to create their own civil law instead of having to
follow Muslim law."

The agency also reported:

* "Pastor Warren hailed the religious coexistence, tolerance and
stability that the Syrian society is enjoying due to the wise leadership
of President al-Assad, asserting that he will convey the true image
about Syria to the American people."

* "Syria wants peace, and Muslims and Christians live in this country
jointly and peacefully since more than a thousand years, and this is not
new for Syria."

* Warren told Syria's Islamic grand mufti there could be no peace in the
region without Syria and 80 percent of Americans reject the U.S.
administration's policies and actions in Iraq.

Others, however, noted in editorials that his praise for the Syrian
regime either was misdirected or improper.


Jim Jacobson, president of Christian Freedom International, said that
Christians are fleeing Iraq to go to Syria because of the threat of
violence in Iraq, but they then find that Syria's persecution of
Christians is "ruthless."

Media attention was focused on North Korea during 2006 because of its
launch of missiles and purported nuclear weapons test, "which meant
increased pressure for Christians," the report said. "Open Doors
uncovered information which indicates that more Christians were arrested
in 2006 than in 2005. Between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are currently
suffering in prison camps. Many of them are tortured. Others are still
putting their lives at risk by trying to flee to China," the report said.

In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslim worship is prohibited and conversion to
Christianity can mean the death penalty, the report said. Islam is the
majority religion in six of the Top Ten nations on the persecution list,
communism is the government in control in three such cases, and Buddhism
controls in the last.

Open Doors estimates 200 million Christians around the world are subject
to interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, and
another 200 million – at least – face discrimination and alienation. The
group, which was founded by the Dutch Missionary Brother Andrew when he
was smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain, works to support and
strengthen Christians in the world's most persecuted areas through Bible
and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and help,
Christian community development and advocacy.

"If we are going to make a difference for the church in these oppressive
areas, the first step is awareness, which makes the World Watch List an
extremely important took," said Johan Companien, president of Open Doors
International. "Then we must pray and act to bring about change."

Jeff Taylor, vice president of development and communications, said over
the last decade the plight of persecuted Christians has been publicized
more than ever before. "Now … it's common to see even secular press
coverage of attacks on Christians," he said.

He warns, however, no one can become complacent.

"My concern is whether the positive growing in reporting is resulting in
a corresponding loss of interest – a kind of 'Christian persecution news
fatigue,'" he said. "We can't let that happen. When you realize hundreds
of Christians are imprisoned for their faith in one country alone –
Eritrea (No. 13) – it should cause us to redouble our prayers and
efforts to help."

The list – and an expanded description of the Christian situation in
those countries with the worst records – is available at OpenDoorsUsa.org.

It details how, for example, in Uzbekistan, a "period of heavy Christian
persecution" has developed following the government's suppression of a
popular uprising about 18 months ago.

"The people of Uzbekistan consider Christians as followers of a western
religion or members of an extremist sect. In 2006 many expatriate
Christian workers were deported from Uzbekistan. In June the government
launched a new law that punishes printing of religious books with three
years in prison," the report noted.

In Eritrea, four religious groups are authorized and, "anyone caught
worshipping outside the four recognized religious institutions, even in
private homes, has been subjected to arrest, torture…" The report
described the situation of 15 Christians who escaped a military camp,
where they had been kept in metal shipping containers, in May.

"They escaped at great risk into the desert bordering Djibouti. Five of
the men died of exposure and the remaining 10 disappeared without any
indication whether they have made it across the Djibouti border," the
report said.

In Iraq, where the U.S. military is trying to stabilize the situation,
Christian churches are being bombed and priests kidnapped. In Nigeria,
the imposition of Islamic law has contributed to riots that destroyed
more than 50 Christian churches and triggered the murders of 60
Christian church members in Borno and Niger states alone.

Another long list of churches, along with 20 Christian homes and 40
shops, were destroyed in one region after a Christian woman was accused
of blaspheming Muhammad in Nigeria.

Answer 1

Persecution for religion or race or ethnicity is wrong, period.

Question for you... Why do you only list Christian statistics? There ARE other religions that are persecuted, you know.

Answer 2

of course no longer. The Egyptian criminal device is predicated on the Shariah regulation, as reported of their shape, and so will consistently be biased in the direction of Islam. enable us to desire that they've the braveness to eliminate that discriminatory clause from the form of a nominally secular usa. EDIT: OMG, i'm surprised on the lack of know-how of particularly some the solutions to this question. the only reason the father became granted custody is that their regulation, like the regulation contained in maximum folk of Islamic international places, states that the youngsters of a marriage the place one be certain is a Muslim would desire to be considered Muslim via regulation. for this reason, they're remote from the custody of the non-Muslim party and placed into the custody of the Muslim party in spite of the different issues. You men seem to have an rather provincial view of the international.

Answer 3

Not good. I think that God's people from all faiths are being persecuted.

Note: I saw five points that appeared to be an upside down “Shield of David” in a man’s eyes. Just imagine a “Shield of David” without the uppermost point. The points looked like distant stars in the night sky. The left side three points aligned like the alignment of stars in Orion’s Belt.

Check out my question "Do you think the birth of the Red Heifers born in the 1990's is proof that the Messiah is coming soon?" Read my comment section. See link: http://web.ncf.ca/fd810/

Answer 4

Useless. Still we have these freakin religious people irritating us to death.

Answer 5

It is just proof that religion is poison.