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Thepersecution of Christians from 1989 to the present is part of a global pattern ofreligious persecution. In this era, the persecution of Christians takes place in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia and theMiddle East.
A July 2019 speech, in support of persecuted Christians, released by the UK'sSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, claims that the number of countries where Christians suffer because of their faith, rose from 125 in 2015 to 144 in 2016.[1] The review prepared by theBishop of Truro, states that in some regions the level and nature ofpersecution, is arguably coming close to meeting the International definition ofgenocide, according to theGenocide Convention, adopted by theUnited Nations.[2]
Between 2007 and 2017, the PEW organization[3] found that "Christians experienced harassment by governments or social groups in 144 countries".[3] The United States submits an annual report on religious freedom to Congress, also containing data on religious persecution, that it has collected from U.S. embassies around the world in collaboration with theOffice of International Religious Freedom and other relevant U.S. government and non-governmental institutions. The data is listed by country and is available online.[4]
The Bolivian government has been criticized for not adequately protecting the rights of religious minorities, including Christians, and for failing to prosecute those responsible for attacks. There have been incidents of property damage and theft directed towards Christian organizations and individuals. The country also has a history of religious tolerance and diversity, and many Christians live and worship freely without incident.[5][6]
In 2021, Christian churches in Canada were subject to numerous acts of arson and vandalism that resulted in the damage and destruction of 68 churches across the country.[7]
Harsha Walia, the executive director of theBritish Columbia Civil Liberties Association, responded to reports of fires at indigenous Catholic parishes with a tweet on June 30 that read "burn it all down". TheUnion of British Columbia Indian Chiefs expressed support for her without mentioning the controversial tweet.[8]
Since 2015, twelve churches have been burned in southern Chile, 10 Catholic ones and two Protestant ones. Attacks were supposedly from theMapuche indigenous people, who are campaigning to reclaim ancestral lands, according to authorities.[9]
A note declaring "We are going to burn all churches" was found at the ruins of the Christian Union Evangelical church in Ercilla, Chile, after an arson attack on 31 March 2016.[10]
In Cuba, government regulations are aimed at curbing the growth of Christian house churches.[11]
Mexico is 83% Catholic, 5% Protestant, with some indigenous persons adhering to indigenous beliefs, 0.5% Jewish and an even smaller number of Muslims and others.[citation needed] In March, authorities in San Miguel Chiptic, Chiapas State, threatened three indigenous families for converting from Catholicism to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and did significant damage to their properties.[citation needed] On 23 May, local police in San Miguel Chiptic arrested twoSeventh-day Adventist men for preaching beliefs other than Catholicism. Evangelical Protestant leaders in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca said local indigenous leaders pressured them to financially support and/or participate in Catholic events, convert or return to Catholicism.[citation needed] In SeptemberChristian Solidarity Worldwide reported representatives from Rancheria Yocnajab, located in the Comitan de Dominguez municipality of Chiapas, did not allow the burial of an evangelical Protestant in the community public cemetery because she had not done so.[citation needed] The Catholic Multimedia Center reported that unidentified individuals killed seven priests and kidnapped another.
In most cases, attacks on and killings of Catholic priests generally reflect criminal activity rather than religious persecution. In August, the CMC asserted that Mexico was the most violent country for priests in Latin America for the 10th year in a row. In March unidentified individuals detonated two homemade bombs in two Catholic churches in Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported unidentified individuals killed four non-Catholic clergy.[12]
 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2025) |
There are 54 countries in Africa, with many, but not all, experiencing some type of religious persecution.[citation needed]
In Algeria, the official religion isSunni Islam, and "those engaged in religious practice other than Sunni Islam, includingAhmadi Muslims, reported that they had experienced threats and intolerance. The police charged five Christians from Bouira Province with 'inciting a Muslim to change his religion' and 'performing religious worship in an unauthorized place.' In March 2018 a court in Tiaret convicted and fined two Christian brothers for carrying more than 50 Bibles in their car.[citation needed] In May another court convicted a church leader and another Christian of proselytizing, sentenced them to three months in prison, and fined them 100,000 dinars. Authorities closed eight churches and a nursery associated with theProtestant Church of Algeria (EPA). Media outlets reported vandalism of two Christian cemeteries".[13][14]
In Angola, about two-fifths of the population is Roman Catholic, two-fifths is Protestant, and some one-tenth adheres to traditional beliefs or other religions. All religious groups are required to register with the government in order to operate legally. In October 2018, the government required all unregistered religious groups to submit registration documents, 94 submitted their files. On 6 November, the government launched a nationwide law enforcement campaign against which included closing down unlicensed associations. The operation closed more than 900 houses of worship, including eight mosques.[13][15]
In Burkina Faso society is religiously diverse with a 60.5% Muslim majority.[citation needed] A number of terrorist groups operated in the country throughout the year of 2018.[citation needed] In April they kidnapped a public schoolteacher in the Sahel Region, because "French is the language of infidels and all education should be conducted in Arabic." In September they burned and vandalized several schools and teachers' houses in the East Region, warning against secular teaching.[citation needed] They kidnapped a Catholic catechist and a Christian pastor in the Sahel Region in May and June. In September unidentified individuals vandalized a Catholic church, removing the heads of religious statues in the southwest area of the country.[13][16]
Burundi 2018 "laws regulating nonprofit organizations and religious denominations require them to register with the Ministry of the Interior. Religious groups that do not seek or receive registration may face scrutiny, and at times harassment or prosecution, by government officials and ruling party members".[13][17]
In Cameroon, Islam, Christianity, and Traditionalist[clarification needed] are the three main religions. Religious groups must register with the government but the government has not allowed registrations for eight years. In 2018, religious leaders said security forces killed three clerics, interrupted church services, and prevented people from getting to their places of worship.[citation needed] On 18 January, soldiers reportedly burned down the presbytery of St. Paul's Catholic Church, Kwa-Kwa, Southwest Region. During the year, the government suspended church executives who had been elected by their churches and closed places of worship. Boko Haram attacked civilians, invaded churches, burned churches, killed and kidnapped both Muslims and Christians, and stole and destroyed property including private homes.[citation needed] Unidentified gunmen in the Southwest Region killed a local chief in a church and assassinated a priest. Separatists threatened pastors, kidnapped priests, and sometimes limited Christians' ability to attend services. There were reports that more than 90 students were kidnapped from Presbyterian schools in two incidents in October and November.[13][18]
In 2018, the Central African Republic is a majority Christian country that is also religiously diverse. In 2018, the government has limited control as the country is mostly controlled by the Christiananti-Balaka and the Muslimex-Séléka militia forces who occupy territories in the western and northern parts of the country. The police and the gendarmerie (military police) failed to stop or punish killings, physical abuse, religion-based and gender-based violence committed by these militias. Sectarian clashes between the militias and the rest of the population included attacks on churches and mosques and the deaths at those places of worship.[13]
In April and May, a joint government and UN operation to disarm a militia group in Bangui's predominantly Muslim PK5 neighborhood sparked violence. On 1 May, militia gunmen attacked and killed one priest, 26 worshipers, and injured more than 100 civilians. The following day, anti-Balaka elements burned two mosques in Bangui. On 15 November, a suspected ex-Seleka militia group set fire to the Catholic cathedral and an adjoining internally displaced person (IDP) camp in the city of Alindao, killing Bishop Blaise Mada and Reverend Delestin Ngouambango and more than 40 civilians.[13][19]
Chad in 2018 is 51–58% Muslim, 40–45% Christian, with small populations of animists and unaffiliated individuals.[citation needed] During the inauguration of the new government, two Christian ministers refused to swear the required oath of office in the name of Allah; one minister who refused to take any oath in the name of Allah was immediately fired by PresidentIdriss Déby.[13][20]
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is approximately 45 percent Roman Catholic, 40 percent Protestant (including evangelicals), 5 percent Church of Jesus Christ on Earth through the Prophet Simon Kimbangu (Kimbanguist), and 5 percent Muslim.[citation needed] International NGOs, media, and religious organizations have reported that the government subjected religious organizations and leaders, most prominently Catholic, to intimidation,arbitrary arrest, and in some cases violence. Due to the political nature of many of the Catholic Lay Association's activities and practices; however, it is difficult to establish the government's response as being solely based on religious identity.[13][21]
About 90% of Egypt's population is Muslim, predominantlySunni, while approximately 10% are Christian, predominantlyCoptic Orthodox. Although Islam is the state religion, the government officially recognizes Christianity and Judaism, permitting their followers to practice publicly. Nevertheless, religious freedom in Egypt faces significant challenges. The Egyptian government does not legally recognize conversions fromIslam toChristianity, and missionary activities by foreigners are limited to social services rather than proselytizing.[22] Historically, the community experienced significant tension during the presidency ofAnwar Sadat, who internally exiled CopticPope Shenouda III in 1981 over accusations of stirring sectarian tensions. Shenouda was restored in 1985 by PresidentHosni Mubarak. Extremist Islamist groups, notablyAl-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, heightened violence against Christians during the 1980s and 1990s, often with accusations of police complicity.[23]
Following the2011 Egyptian Revolution, anti-Christian sentiment increased notably amid the unrest. Incidents included church burnings, violence over the appointment of a Christian governor, and inflammatory anti-Christian rhetoric by Islamist groups. The European Parliament criticized Egypt in 2011 for persecuting Christians, and by mid-2012, around 10,000 Christians had emigrated.[24][25] Violence escalated again in July 2012, whenDahshur's entire Christian community fled following sectarian clashes after a minor dispute spiraled into riots, resulting in destruction of property and violence against Christians.[26]
Kidnappings for ransom of Christians became widespread after therevolution, particularly inMinya, with over 150 cases reported between 2011 and 2013.[27] Tensions have persisted over church construction, despite legal permissions being available; attempts to build or renovate churches frequently provoke hostility and sometimes violent attacks from local Muslim communities.[28]
Egypt's laws on contempt of religion have also been controversial. In 2016, poet Fatima Naoot received a three-year sentence for a Facebook post criticizing animal slaughter during Eid.[29][30] In the same year, four Christian teenagers were convicted under the same laws for reportedly mocking Islam, with three sentenced to five years imprisonment.[31]
Nonetheless, recent years have shown signs of progress in certain areas. Christians have reported greater freedom to construct and renovate churches, and new initiatives, such as interreligious reconciliation efforts and protective fatwas, have emerged.[32][33] Egypt's position onOpen Doors' World Watch List, which ranks the 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution, fell from 25th in 2013 to 40th by 2025, indicating a measurable decline in reported persecution.[34] However, social discrimination and underrepresentation in public institutions continue to affect the community.[citation needed]
The population of Eritrea is equally divided between the predominantly Christian high plateau (Asmara), and the Muslim lowlands and coast.[citation needed] The government recognizes four officially registered religious groups: theEritrean Orthodox Church,Sunni Islam, theRoman Catholic Church, and theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea. Unregistered groups can be subjected to additional security service scrutiny. The government appoints the heads of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and the Sunni Islamic community. International NGOs and media reported that members of all religious groups were subjected to government abuses and restrictions.[citation needed] Members of unrecognized religious groups reported instances of imprisonment and deaths in custody, and detention without explanation. NGOs reported the government continued to detain 345 church leaders and officials without charge or trial, while estimates of detained laity ranged from 800 to more than 1,000. Authorities detained 53Jehovah's Witnesses for conscientious objection.[13][35]
Ethiopia has 43.5% Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, 33.9% Muslim, 18.6%, Protestants, and 2.6% traditional beliefs population. There is also a small Jewish community and some adherents of theBaháʼí Faith.[citation needed] In January 2018, security forces fired tear-gas on a group of youth singing politically charged messages in Woldia town during Epiphany celebrations. The localHuman Rights Council (HRCO) reported that security forces shot and killed eight Orthodox Church members; this was followed by further protests and more killings. On 4 August, in the Somali region, an organized group of Muslim youth reportedly killed six priests and burned down at least eight Ethiopian Orthodox churches during widespread civil unrest in Jijiga. On 25 August, in Bure town, followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church stoned a man to death after accusing him of attempting to set a church on fire.[13][36]
Kenya in 2018 is religiously diverse: 47.4% of the total population are varieties of Protestant, 20.6% are Roman Catholic, 11.1 percent are Islamic, and 16% are Baháʼí, Buddhist, Hindu and traditional religionists.[citation needed] Kenya also has the highest number of Quakers of any country in the world, with around 119,285 members. The Eastern Orthodox Church has over 650,000 members making it the third largest Orthodox Church in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Somalia-based terrorist groupHarakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (al-Shabaab) carried out attacks in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Lamu Counties saying they had targeted non-Muslims.[citation needed] In September, al-Shabaab reportedly stopped a bus in Lamu County and killed two Christian travelers. In October a group of residents in Bungale, Magarini Sub County, burned and demolished aGood News International Ministries church. There were reports of religiously motivated threats, such as members of Muslim communities threatening individuals who converted from Islam to Christianity. According to religious leaders, some Muslim youths vandalized properties of local Christians.[13][37]
Sunni Islam is the state religion andsharia is the principal source of legislation. Non-Muslim activity remains curtailed by legal prohibitions. Circulation of non-Islamic religious materials, missionary activity, or speech considered "offensive to Muslims" is prohibited. Multiple international human rights organizations said Christians faced a heightened risk of physical assault, including sexual assault and rape than other migrants and refugees at government detention centers. Some detainees reported they were tortured and abused.[citation needed] Domestic human rights activists continued to report a restrictive environment, especially toward women, imposing restrictions on women's dress and movement and punishing men for behavior they deemed un-Islamic.[citation needed] The East operated under a separate, unrecognized governmental administration, with security provided by theLibyan National Army (LNA) and LNA-aligned Salafist armed groups. Militias continued to operate and control territory throughout the country, including in Benghazi, parts of Tripoli, and Derna, where there were numerous reports of armed groups restricting religious practices, enforcing compliance with sharia, and targeting those viewed as violating their standards. According toOpen Doors USA, Islamic militant groups and organized crime groups targeted religious minorities, including Christian migrants, converts to Christianity, and foreign residents for physical attacks, sexual assaults, detentions, kidnappings, and killings. Foreign terrorist organizations that includedAnsar al-Sharia,al-Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM), andISIS continued to operate within the country. In December the Reuters news service reported local authorities said they had exhumed from a mass grave near Sirte the bodies of 34 Ethiopian Christians executed by ISIS in 2015. According to international media, former Muslims faced intense social and economic pressure to renounce their Christian faith and return to Islam.[13][38]
In Nigeria, theBoko Haram insurgency aims to establish anIslamic state in Nigeria.[39]University of Johannesburg law professor Werner Nicolaas Nel has noted that this has resulted in the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.[40] There has been a tendency of "mischaracterisation of the situation as civil conflict".[40] The number of Nigerian Christians killed for their identification asChristians accounts for 70% of those being killed for their faith worldwide.[41] The academicJournal of African Studies and Sustainable Development published a paper in 2020 that noted that since 2015, over 12,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria.[42] Christian human rights organisations, such asGlobal Christian Relief have provided higher figures, such as documenting in 2023 that 52,250 Christians were murdered for their faith in the previous fourteen years.[43] In 2025, this garnered international attention with United States presidentDonald Trump vowing military action in Nigeria if the attacks against Christians did not subside.[44]
In April 2025, American missionary Josh Sullivan was abducted at gunpoint during a church service inMotherwell, a township nearGqeberha in South Africa'sEastern Cape province. Sullivan, who had been working in the region since 2018 as a church-planting missionary toXhosa-speaking communities, was taken by at least four armed men, prompting a ransom demand. Following a coordinated response by South Africa's elite police unit, the Hawks, he was rescued unharmed on 15 April during a shoot-out in KwaMagxaki that resulted in the deaths of three suspects. The incident highlighted a broader trend of increased kidnappings for ransom inSouth Africa in the 2010s and 2020s. Sullivan's case drew international attention and sparked widespread calls for prayer and support from faith communities in both South Africa and the United States.[45][46][47]
Christians in Somalia face persecution associated with the ongoingcivil war in that country.[48]
In September 2011 militants sworn to eradicate Christianity from Somalia beheaded two Christian converts. A third Christian convert was beheaded inMogadishu in early 2012.[49]
Some interpretations of Muslim law in Sudan refuse to recognizeconversions out of Islam, consideringapostasy a crime, and refuse to recognize marriages to non-Muslims. Sudan is one of the nations where being a Christian is hardest in the world. Freedom of religion and belief are systematically violated.[50]
InAfghanistan in 2006,Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old citizen, was charged withrejecting Islam because he converted toCatholicism, a crime which is punishable by death underSharia law. Under intense pressure from Western governments, he was allowed to leave Afghanistan at the end of March 2006 and since then, he has been living in exile in Italy.[51]In 2008, theTaliban killed a British charity worker,Gayle Williams, "because she was working for an organization which was preaching Christianity in Afghanistan" even though she was extremely careful and she did not try to convert Afghans to Christianity.[52]
In theXi Jinping era, some estimates put the number of Christians inChina at 100 million, but it has been claimed in 2019 that 20 million of them faced persecution, including crackdowns, raids and church closures. Claims of persecution of Chinese Christians occurred in both official and unsanctioned churches.[53]
There have been instances of religious intolerance and persecution of Christians in India, particularly in certain areas of the country.[citation needed] In recent years, there have been reports of violence and discrimination against Christians, as well as forced conversions, mainly by Hindu nationalist groups.[54][55] The Indian government has been criticized by some international human rights organizations and religious groups for not doing enough to protect the rights of religious minorities, including Christians.[56]
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority country, and while the constitution guarantees freedom of religion,[57] there have been instances of religious intolerance and persecution of religious minorities, including Christians. In some areas of the country, particularly in more conservative regions, local laws and regulations have been used to restrict the religious freedom of minority groups. Additionally, there have been incidents of violence and intimidation directed at religious minorities, including Christians, by extremist groups.[58] However, the overall situation varies widely across the country, with some areas being relatively peaceful while others experience significant religious tension.[citation needed]
In Malaysia, although Islam is the official religion, Christianity is tolerated under Article 3 and Article 11 of theMalaysian constitution. But at some point, the spread of Christianity is a particular sore point for the Muslim majority, the Malaysian government has also persecuted Christian groups who were perceived to be attempting to proselytize Muslim audiences.[59] Those showing interest in the Christian faith or other faith practices not considered orthodox by state religious authorities are usually sent either by the police or their family members to state fundedFaith Rehabilitation Centres (Malay:Pusat Pemulihan Akidah) where they are counseled to remain faithful to Islam and some states have provisions for penalties under their respectiveShariah legislations for apostasy from Islam.[60]
It has been the practice of the church in Malaysia to not actively proselytize to the Muslim community. Christian literature is required by law to carry a caption "for non-Muslims only". Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia allows the states to prohibit the propagation of other religions to Muslims, and most (with the exception of Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territories) have done so. There is no well-researched agreement on the actual number of Malaysian Muslim converts to Christianity in Malaysia.[61] According to the latest population census released by the Malaysian Statistics Department, there are none, according to Ustaz Ridhuan Tee, they are 135 and according to Tan Sri DrHarussani Zakaria, they are 260,000.[61] See alsoStatus of religious freedom in Malaysia.[citation needed]
There are, however, cases in which a Muslim will adopt the Christian faith without declaring apostasy openly. In effect, they arepracticing Christians, but legally Muslims.[62]
The government of North Korea is officiallyatheist, and any religious practices are strictly controlled and heavily monitored by the state.[63] Those who are found to be practicing Christianity or any other religion can face severe punishment, including imprisonment, torture, and execution.[64] The government also actively seeks to root out and punish individuals who are suspected of being involved in underground Christian activities. The country is considered as one of the worst places in the world for religious freedom by several human rights and Christian organizations.[65][66]
Christians in Pakistan are a minority, making up 1.6% of the population, andreligious minorities are frequently discriminated against.[67] ThePakistan blasphemy law mandates that blasphemy of theQur'an is to be punished. Critics of the laws say that Christians likeAsia Bibi are sentenced to death with only hearsay for evidence of alleged blasphemy.[68] At least a dozen Christians have been given death sentences,[69] and half a dozen of them have been murdered after being accused of violating blasphemy laws. In 2005, 80 Christians were behind bars due to these laws.[70]
Christians in Pakistan have been murdered in outbreaks ofcommunal violence, such as the2009 Gojra riots, and they have been targeted by militant groups, with thePeshawar church attack killing 75 Christians inPeshawar in 2013,[71] and theLahore church bombings killing 15 Christians in 2015.[72][73] The campaign of violence by theTehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has been described as agenocide.[74][75][76]
Christians in Sri Lanka are a minority, making up around 7.4% of the population as of the 2011 census.[77] The Christian population faces sporadic outbreaks of violence and hostility[78][79] by extremists. Churches have been vandalized by mobs organized by supporters of religious nationalist groups, such as Hindu supporters ofRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,[citation needed] Buddhist supporters ofBodu Bala Sena and Islamist supporters ofNational Thowheeth Jama'ath.[80][81]
The consolidation of power in the hands ofShia Islamists in Iraq since the overthrow ofSaddam Hussein's regime has been detrimental to Iraq'sAssyrian andArmenian Christian communities. Friction between rival sects inIraq has frequently resulted in acts of violence against Christians in the country.[citation needed] Consequently, Christians have fled from some areas of Iraq and emigrated to Europe and the United States. Since 2003, hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled from Iraq, and as a result, the Christian population, which may have numbered as high as 1.4 million prior to theIraq War, has dropped to 500,000, and the number of Christians who are currently living in Iraq is continuing to decline.[citation needed] Between 2003 and 2012, more than 70 churches were bombed. In 2007,Al Qaeda militants killed a young priest in Mosul, and in 2010, gunmen massacred 53Assyrian Christians in aBaghdad church.[82][83][84][85]
During theSyrian Civil War and its spillover into Iraq, thepersecution of Christians by ISIL and other militant groups has been ongoing. TheFall of Mosul and the fall of the Assyrian town ofQaraqosh during the2014 ISIL advance in Iraq caused the displacement of an estimated 100,000 Assyrian Christian civilians.[citation needed] After the fall of Mosul, ISIL decreed that if the Assyrian Christians who lived in the city did notconvert to Islam or paytribute, they would be executed.[86] ISIL begun marking homes of Christian residents with theletternūn forNassarah ('Christian').[87][88] Thousands of Christians,Yazidis (the latter were only given the choice of conversion or death) and other, mostlyShi'a Muslims (who ISIL considersapostates) have abandoned their homes and land. One of thecultural heritage sites which was destroyed by ISIL wasMosque of the Prophet Jonah, a site which is considered holy by adherents of allAbrahamic faiths.[citation needed]
In Tel Aviv in 2008, three teenagers burned hundreds of Christian Bibles. In a 2008 Tel Aviv incident, hundreds of copies of the New Testament, which had been handed out in the city (allegedly byMessianic Jews in order to convertEthiopian Jews), were burned by three teenage Orthodox students of Judaism. Uzi Aharon, the town's deputy mayor, toldCNN he had collected the New Testaments but that he did not plan for them to be burned. The youths had done so while he was not present. Once he found out that the fire was going, he put it out.[89]
In Jerusalem, there have been instances of Christian churches and monasteries being vandalized with spray-painted offensive remarks against Christianity, including death threats. These are believed to beprice tag attacks by extremist settlers.[90][91]
A number of Ultra-Orthodox/Haredi youth have reportedly spat at Christian clergymen. Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, of Jerusalem's Armenian Patriarchate, says he personally has been spat at about 50 times in the past 12 years.[92][93] TheAnti-Defamation League has called on the chief Rabbis to speak out against the interfaith assaults.[94] Father Goosan, ChiefDragoman of theArmenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, stated that, "I know there are fanatical Haredi groups that don't represent the general public but it's still enraging. It all begins with education. It's the responsibility of these men's yeshiva heads to teach them not to behave this way".[95]
In July 2012, a former member of theKnesset,Michael Ben-Ari, who supportsKahanism, videotaped himself tearing up a copy of theNew Testament and throwing it in the trash. Ben-Ari referred to it as a "despicable book" that should be "in the dustbin of history".[96] In response, theAmerican Jewish Committee urged the Knesset tocensure Ben-Ari, while a spokesman forBenjamin Netanyahu also condemned Ben-Ari's actions.[97]
In June 2015, an auxiliary building[98] of theChurch of the Multiplication was significantly damaged by an arson attack and its walls defaced by Hebrew graffiti, bearing the words "the false gods will be eliminated" (quoted from theAleinu prayer).[99][100]
From 2018 to 2023, a total of 157 attacks on Christian sanctities in Israel by extremist Jews were documented.[101]
In March 2023, Member of theKnessetMoshe Gafni submitted a bill that would have bannedproselytizing ofChristianity in Israel.[102][103][104][105]
In June and July 2023, Jewish extremists repeatedly stormed a Catholic church and monastery in Haifa, leading to protests by the local Christians and clashes at the site between them and the extremists.[106][107][108]
Armenians in Jerusalem, identified as Palestinian Christians orIsraeli-Armenians, have also been attacked and received threats from Jewish extremists; Christians and clergy have been spat at, and one Armenian Archbishop was beaten and his centuries-old cross broken. In September 2009, two Armenian Christian clergy were expelled after a brawl erupted with a Jewish extremist for spitting on holy Christian objects.[109]
In January 2010, Christian leaders, Israeli Foreign ministry staff, representatives of the Jerusalem municipality and the Haredi community met to discuss inter-faith tolerance. The Haredi Community Tribunal of Justice published a statement condemning harassment of Christians, stating that it was a "desecration of God's name". Several events were planned in 2010 by theOrthodox Yedidya congregation to show solidarity with Christians and improve relations between the Haredi and Christian communities of Jerusalem.[110][111]
In May 2023, a few months before theGaza genocide, a report titled "Palestinian Christians - The Forcible Displacement and Dispossession Continues" was released byKairos Palestine, a Palestinian Christian advocacy group, based in the West Bank.[112]
In 2002, a mob of Palestinian Muslims burned Christian property in Ramallah.[113] A dossier submitted in 2005 to Church leaders in Jerusalem listed 93 incidents of abuse alleged to have been committed against Palestinian Christians by Muslim extremists and 140 cases of gangs allegedly stealing Christian land in the West Bank.[114]
In September 2005, hundreds of Muslim men fromDeir Jarir torched homes inTaybeh in response to an affair between a 30-year-old Muslim woman from Deir Jarir said to have been romantically involved with a Christian man from Taybeh.[115] Taybeh residents called the authorities to intervene, the Israelis arrived first but they watched and did not intervene. Palestinian policemen arriving fromRamallah were held at anIsraeli checkpoint for three hours, and were only allowed to pass after constant calls from the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem.[116] Despite the incident, the neighboring towns continue to have healthy relations; residents say "the people of Taybeh and the people of Deir Jarir are one family".[115]In May 2012 a group of 100 Muslims attackedTaybeh, a Christian village in the West Bank.[117]On 19 April 2013,Israeli settlers attempted to take overTaybeh's monastery and its adjacent chapel.[118] Both before and during the2023 Gaza war, Israeli settlers conducted violent attacks and arson in Taybeh.[119][120]
On Christmas Day in 2023, Israel raidedBethlehem, where many Palestinian Christians live.[121] In 2006, aZogby poll that interviewed more than 1,000 Palestinian Christians from Bethlehem found that 79% of the respondents cited the Israeli occupation as source of difficulties leading the emigration of their community.[122]
The Hamas overthrow of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza in 2007 was accompanied by violent attacks against Christians and Christian holy sites by Islamic militants. A Catholic convent and Rosary Sisters school were ransacked, with some Christians blaming Hamas for the attack. In September 2007 Christian anxiety grew after an 80-year-old Christian woman was attacked in her Gaza home by a masked man who robbed her and called her ankafir.[123][124] The library ofYMCA was bombed in 2008 by gunmen who, according to guards at the site, asked why the guards worked for "infidels".[125]
Gazan Salafi jihadist militant groups are opposed to Christianity and have attacked Christian targets.[126][127] In 2007,Jaish al Mu'minun[128][129] carried out the murder ofRami Ayyad, an affiliate of the Gaza Baptist Church who managed the only Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip.[130] Other Salafi jihadist groups that have attacked Gazan Christians includeJaysh al-Islam[126] andTawhid al-Jihad.[131]
In 2011, some Gazan Christians interviewed byThe Guardian reported an anti-Christian atmosphere in Gaza. Reportedly, people were not celebratingChristmas out of fear; young Christian men were emigrating en masse; a Hamas official had detained and threatened a Christian wearing a cross necklace; and many Christians wanted thePalestinian Authority to retake Gaza.[132]
In 2012, tensions arose between Gazan Christians and Hamas after it was alleged that five Christians had been kidnapped andforced to convert to Islam. The Muslim Scholars’ Association in Palestine, Hamas, and the converts themselves stated they had not been kidnapped or forcibly converted to Islam, but Gazan Christians remained skeptical, and began organizing near-daily protest rallies in Gaza City. ThePalestinian Center for Human Rights met with and interviewed the converts, and concluded that they had converted out of their own free will.[133]
All threechurches in Gaza have been subjected to attacks by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) during the Gaza war, and around 3% of Gazan Christians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes or shootings.[134][135] The Gaza Baptist Church was heavily damaged sometime in 2023.[136] In December 2023, two Gazan Christians, Naheda Anton and her daughter Samar Antonwere shot and killed at the Holy Family Church by an Israeli sniper,[137] and the church itself was targeted by tank fire in July 2025.[138] The Rosary Sisters' school was bombed in November 2023,[139][140] and the Holy Family Catholic school was bombed in July 2024.[141] The Church of Saint Porphyrius was bombed in October 2023[142] and again in July 2024.[143]
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported that state-controlled Palestinian media frequently demonize religions like Judaism and Christianity. PMW translated into English a children's television program aired twice in 2012 it said featured a young girl saying Jews and Christians are "cowardly and despised".[144]
Former Lebanese presidentAmine Gemayel stated in 2011 that Christians had become the target ofgenocide after dozens of Christians were killed in deadly attacks in Egypt and Iraq.[when?][145]
The human rights advocacy groupInternational Christian Concern (ICC) informed theChristian Post that in December 2011, 35 Christian Ethiopians – both men and women – were violently arrested inJeddah while they were holding a prayer meeting in their home. The prisoners stated that they were persecuted on account of their faith and they also stated that they were also pressured to convert to Islam, and the women stated that they were forced to undergo a humiliating strip search. According to ICC, one prisoner said, "The Muslim preacher [that was sent by officials to speak to the prisoners] vilified Christianity, denigrated theBible and told us that Islam is the only true religion."[146]
TheEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is still in a difficult position. Turkish law requires theEcumenical Patriarch to be anethnic Greek who holds Turkish citizenship since birth, although most members of Turkey'sGreek minority have been expelled. The state's expropriation of church property is an additional difficulty faced by the Church of Constantinople. In November 2007, a 17th-century chapel ofOur Lord's Transfiguration at the Halki seminary was almost totally demolished by the Turkish forestry authority.[147] There was no advance warning given for the demolition work and it was only stopped after appeals were filed by theEcumenical Patriarch.[148]
The difficulties currently experienced by theAssyrians andArmenian Orthodox minorities in Turkey are the result of an anti-Armenian and anti-Christian attitude which is espoused byultra-nationalist groups such as theGrey Wolves. According to theMinority Rights Group, the Turkish government recognizes Armenians and Assyrians as minorities but in Turkey, this term is used to denote second-class status.[149]
In February 2006,Father Andrea Santoro was murdered inTrabzon.[150] On 18 April 2007 in the Zirve Publishing House,Malatya, Turkey.[151][152] Three employees of the Bible publishing house were attacked, tortured and murdered by fiveSunni Muslim assailants.[153]
The Christian presence in Yemen dates back to the fourth century AD when a number ofHimyarites embrace Christianity due to the efforts ofTheophilos the Indian. Currently, there are no official statistics on their numbers, but they are estimated to be between 3,000 and 25,000 people,[154] and most of them are either refugees or temporary residents.Freedom of worship, conversion from Islam and establishing facilities dedicated for worship are not recognized as rights in the country's Constitution and laws.[154] At the same time,Wahabbi activities linked toAl-Islah was being facilitated, financed and encouraged from multiple fronts including the Ministry of Endowments and Guidance,[155] which says that its tasks "to contribute to the development of Islamic awareness and circulation of the publication Education and Islamic morals and consolidation in the life of public and private citizens."[156]
TheMissionaries of Charity founded byMother Teresa has worked inAden since 1992, and it has three other centers inSanaa,Taiz andHodeidah. Three Catholic nuns were killed inHodeidah in 1998, two of them from India and the third from the Philippines. The nuns died at the hands of a member of Al-Islah named Abdullah al-Nashiri, who argued that they were calling Muslims to convert to Christianity. In 2002, three Americans were killed in Baptists Hospital at the hands of another Al-Islah member named Abed Abdul Razak Kamel.[157] Survivors say that the suspect (Al-Islah) was "a political football" who had been raised by Islamists, who talked about it often in mosques and who described hospital workers as "spies". But they emphasized that these views are only held by a minority of Yemenis.[158] In December 2015, an old Catholic church in Aden was destroyed.[159]
Since the escalation of the Yemeni crisis in March 2015, six priests fromJohn Bosco remained, and twenty workers for charitable missions in the country, described byPope Francis by the courage to fortitude amid war and conflict. He called theApostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia to pray for all the oppressed and tortured, expelled from their homes, and killed unjustly.[160] In all cases, regardless of the values and ethics of the warring forces in Yemen on religious freedom, it is proved that the Missionaries of Charity were not active in the field ofevangelization according to the testimonies of beneficiaries of its services.[158][161] On 4 March 2016,Missionaries of Charity operation in Aden was attacked, resulting in 16 deaths.[162][163]
In June 1992, theFantoft Stave Church was burnt down. It was a wooden church originally built in 1150 in Fortun and moved to Bergen in 1883.[164] At first the fire was attributed to lightning and electrical failure. In January 1993Varg Vikernes, also known as "Count Grishnackh", was interviewed by a local journalist in his apartment decorated with 'Nazi paraphernalia, weapons and Satanic symbols'. Vikernes, at the time a proponent ofWhite nationalism,social conservatism,survivalism and hisvölkisch-inspired ideology, declared that he wanted to blow upBlitz House andNidaros Cathedral. He has publicly supported black metal fans burning down eight churches in Norway. He used a photo of the charred remnants of one church taken soon after the fire on his bandBurzum's EP entitledAske (Norwegian for 'ashes'). Following his statement, the Norwegian authorities began to clamp down on black metal musicians.[165]
In 1994, Vikernes was found guilty of murder, arson and possession of illegal weapons, including explosives, and given the maximum sentence under Norwegian law of 21 years in prison.[165] He was released in 2009.[166]
The following is a partial list of Norwegian Christian church arsons in 1992 by anti-Christian groups[citation needed] reported by English-language media sources:
Many attacks, arsons and acts of vandalism against churches in Russia are reported each year.[172][173] The acts of vandalism are often accompanied bySatanic symbolism and graffiti.[174] In many instances, icons and crosses are burned and vandalized, andswastikas and Satanic symbols are painted on the walls of churches (while other attacks on churches in Russia are simply robberies).[173] Some of the attacks on the churches, such as the cutting down of crosses, appear to be conducted by groups organized online and by local youth.[citation needed]
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catholicnewsagency was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).Currently, there is a high rate of persecution unleashed on Christians worldwide with a special reference to Nigeria. Globally, Nigeria accounts for more than 70% of Christians being killed because of their identification with the Christian faith. This makes Nigeria one of the most dangerous countries for Christians.
According to an April 2023 report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, at least 52,250 persecuted Christians have been killed in the past fourteen years, simply for the crime of being Christian.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Religion: Approximately 1.6 percent of the population is Hindu, 1.6 percent is Christian, and 0.3 percent belongs to other religions, such as Bahaism and Sikhism.
A Zogby International poll in 2006 interviewing 1,000 Palestinians from Bethlehem showed that 79 per cent of respondents believed the difficulties of living under occupation are the reason for Christians leaving Palestine.
These activities were encouraged and financed, as elsewhere in Yemen, by the then Wahhabi-controlled Ministry of Religious Guidance (irsha ̄d), by Saudi and Yemeni business figures and by the Yemeni Reform Grouping islah
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