In some parts of the world, being a Christian means you’re certain to face persecution.
One-hundred percent of Christians in 21 countries experience persecution for their faith according to a leading human rights watchdog group report.
Open Doors USA CEO David Curry said, “2016 was the worst year of persecution on record with a shocking 215 million Christians experiencing high levels of persecution for their faith.”
He also told reporters at the National Press Club, ”It is worth repeating that nearly one in every 12 Christians today lives in an area or culture in which Christianity is illegal, forbidden or punished. Yet, today the world is largely silent on the shocking wave of religious intolerance.
The organization documented as many as 1,207 Christians who were killed around the globe for faith-related reasons during the list’s reporting period — Nov. 1, 2015, to Oct. 31, 2016.
However, that number is a conservative estimate since it doesn’t include statistics from the list’s No. 1 persecutor of Christians for the last 16 years — North Korea — and areas of Iraq and Syria. Additionally, there were likely many other Christian killings that went unreported.
The ministry also documented over 1,329 churches around the globe that were attacked or damaged.
Other countries on the list include Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, India, and Egypt.