by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A new report by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) attests that persecution against Christians in certain parts of the world is worsening dramatically - and that Western denial of the situation is endangering believers, Christian Today reports. Titled 'Persecuted and Forgotten?,’ the ACN report documents an increase in Christian persecution in 24 countries between October 2020 and September 2022.
Among the countries reviewed in the report, seven are in Africa, where ACN noted "a sharp increase in genocidal violence from militant non-state actors, including jihadists," Christian Today reports. The situation is especially dire in Nigeria, where persecution against Christians "clearly passes the threshold of genocide," the ACN report says.
Islamic jihadists are also responsible for terrorizing Christian communities in the Middle East: "A revival of jihadism has the potential to deliver a knock-out blow for Christianity in its ancient heartland," the report said. Christians in Iraq and Syria continue to be attacked by ISIS-affiliated groups.
Meanwhile, in Asia, in countries including Myanmar, China, Vietnam, and North Korea, state authoritarianism is "the critical factor" in the intensifying persecution of Christians. "At its worst, freedom of religion and conscience is being strangulated [in these countries]," the ACN report says. Afghanistan, however, is "the worst offender" in this due to the return of the Taliban.
"Indicators strongly suggested that over the period under review, the persecution of Christians continued to worsen in core countries of concern, the ACN report concludes."Systematic violence and a climate of control meant that in countries as diverse as North Korea, China, India and Burma, the oppression of Christians increased. Part of the problem is a cultural misperception in the West that continues to deny that Christians remain the most widely persecuted faith group."