Islamic Nations Dominate '09 Persecution List

By Michelle A. Vu|Christian Post Reporter

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Islamic nations made up more than half of the top 10 countries listed as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians in a new report.

Saudi Arabia again took the No. 2 spot, followed by Iran (No. 3), Afghanistan (No. 4), Somalia (No. 5), Maldives (No. 6), Yemen (No. 7), and Uzbekistan (No. 10). Compared to last year’s Open Doors’ World Watch List, the 2009 list had one more Muslim dominated country.

Taking the top spot again this year for the seventh year in a row is the totalitarian and reclusive state of North Korea.

Dr. Carl Moeller, Open Doors USA president, highlighted several changes to the 2009 World Watch List including the reemergence of Somalia into the top 10 list.

“Somalia and Eritrea are also in the top 10,” Moeller noted to The Christian Post in an interview Tuesday. “You can see that the Christian community in that part of Africa has just been hammered."

Also Afghanistan moved up two spots to No. 5 this year because of increased activities by the Taliban, a Muslim extremist group that formerly ruled the country.

Interestingly, Moeller noted, both China and Bhutan, both Asian countries, dropped out of the top 10.

Although China (No. 12), which has a troubled history with religious freedom, is no longer part of the top 10 list, Moeller said the ministry will continue to keep a close eye on the country he describes as an “enigma.”

“China is an enigma in many ways in relations to persecution,” Moeller said. “There has never been greater openness in China, and yet at the same time - having spent some time there, in particular just a few months ago – we still hear direct reports from individuals who have been arrested, interrogated and even held for days without being told why."

“And this type of persecution continues to go on especially in rural areas,” he said.

The two countries that showed the most improvement in Christian persecution over the past year are Vietnam, which dropped from No. 17 to No. 23, and Columbia, which was dropped from the top 50 list after ranking high for many years on the list. Vietnam was No. 8 on the World Watch List in 2006.

World Watch List 2009

1. North Korea
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Iran
4. Afghanistan
5. Somalia
6. Maldives
7. Yemen
8. Laos
9. Eritrea
10. Uzbekistan

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JC »

Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:44 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

To hornbillZO:

You asked how many chapters we read everyday.

Beloved, it's not a matter of quantity, but quality. When one is reading God's Word, they are probing the very thoughts and ideas of God Himself. His knowledge is vastly superior to ours, and even 10,000 lifetimes would not be enough to enjoy all that He has to say. And beloved, He has much to say from His word, in our daily lives.

Beloved, this information was given to me many years ago, and so I will pass it to you:

Read a few chapters everyday, intently but not slowly. Then, write a book report on what you just read, and how it applies to your life. Most of the time beloved, what you receive and how it applies to your life is God speaking. However, beloved, this is where it gets tricky. Your voice and God's voice are not the only voices you hear. The Dark One is very much at work too, and He knows God's word more than we do. There are many corrupt preachers out in the world that use God's word for their own illicit gains. Beloved, we must always wait for confirmation before proceeding with God's instruction. Remember dear one, His Word will always confirm itself, no exceptions. If no confirmation is received, then this is not of God. After some time, you will be able to do this without writing a report, it will just come to you.

Hope this helps beloved.
aritonang »

Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:49 am Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

Matthew 20:16 (New International Version)

16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
hornbillZO »

Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:49 am Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

Hey, dudes, my Christian Brothers and Sisters, how many chapters of the Bible do you read everyday? I am a new born-again Christian. I am so eager to know more about Christ and its way. Please help me.
hornbillZO »

Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:46 am Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

The "World Watch List 2009" should include Burma at its top, too. Why not? There in Burma, persecution of Christians is getting worse. Currently, the government banned them to worship in flats! But they don't give them the permission to build Churches. So Christians in Burma are facing difficulty for a place to worship.
aritonang »

Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:35 am Agree: 1 Disagree: 0

//aritonang, You point out the negatives of Muslims, I balance it all out to point out the negatives of Christians. //

If the Christians in the United States behead 3 atheist girls going to school and parade the bloody decapitated head around town. Then it is balanced.

johnzon, why do you hate Christians? Is it normal for atheist humanist to show so much hate and anger?
JC »

Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:54 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

To Johnzon:

You said: "Perhaps you are not familiar with centuries of anti-semitism preached by the Catholic and Protestant churchs and the hate that developed towards the Jews as a result which lead to the Holocaust."

And beloved, what about Egypt, and Babylon, and Syria. All you are saying proves that what the Bible is saying is true.

Beloved, the Bible is specific; Those who bless Israel shall be blessed. And those who curse Israel shall be cursed.

You also said: "I balance it all out to point out the negative of Christians".

You follow your master's voice well. Unfortunately beloved, this voice only leads to death.

Let me tell you a quick story: There was a driver on a busy downtown thoroughfare. During a turn, at about 40 mph, the back passenger door came open and a toddler fell out. Panicked, of course, the driver stopped and found her toddler inches from a car that had came to a screeching halt. The driver of the car that came inches from hitting the toddler, got out and was visibly shaken. She ran to make sure the toddler was okay and found him to be fine. She then began to just praise God and raised her hands to the sky. Everybody thought she was over the edge and had flipped out. She then looked at them and said something each one will never forget, she said "You people don't understand, I never had time to hit the brakes."

Beloved, I didn't make this up, if you do a search for things like this, you will find such as these. But unfortunately the press doesn't cover happy, only doom and gloom. They too follow their master well.

Beloved, this is not a game, and is quite real. If one wants to find Him who sits on the throne, then all one has to do is search, honestly, and with all seriousness. Otherwise, you're just continuing your game of participating with those who persecute. And as stated beloved, this only leads to death. Are you sure you are willing to accept this? Think about it seriously for just a moment. Ask yourself one question; "What if we are right?"
johnzon »

Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:56 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 1

aritonang, You point out the negatives of Muslims, I balance it all out to point out the negatives of Christians.
aritonang »

Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:42 am Agree: 3 Disagree: 0

Christians follows example of Lord Jesus Christ. Anti semitism and Hate is not from the Bible.

As I told you before, I do not follow church leaders in Europe or any where else. I follow Lord Jesus Christ.
johnzon »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:20 pm Agree: 1 Disagree: 0

aritonang, Perhaps you are not familiar with centuries of anti-semitism preached by the Catholic and Protestant churchs and the hate that developed towards the Jews as a result which lead to the Holocaust.
aritonang »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:17 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

//You mean along the lines of what the Christians did to the Jews in Europe. //

Are those people Christians? Or claimed to be Christians.

I lived in a place where people kill Christians. Have you been to such a place? Honor the peace that is bestowed upon you.
aritonang »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:14 pm Agree: 1 Disagree: 0

John 16:2 (New International Version)
2They will put you out of the synagogue, in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
johnzon »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:11 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

aritonang

<<.....islamist of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Iran are going to continue to arrest, torture and murder Christians and Christian converts.>>

You mean along the lines of what the Christians did to the Jews in Europe.
johnzon »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:02 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

star2,

<<We are in the end time>>

LOL, I love it. How many thousands of years have the "end times are near". Since you won't be needing them, I trust you have sold off all your worldly possessions and donated them to the needy....LOL
didymus »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:18 pm Agree: 1 Disagree: 2

star2,

Actually, things were pretty good for the Christians under Saddam Hussein. It's only since our invasion has persecution become this bad.
star2 »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:35 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

ender, Iraq probably would have been a part of the top ten list if Bush hadn't rid that nation of their dictator Saddam Hussein.
ender »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:21 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

I wonder how long it will take Iraq to ease its way into the top 10. Many people talk about being Christians, but these are people who put their lives on the line to be a Christian. I pray that God may ease their burden, but his will be done above all.
star2 »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:16 am Agree: 0 Disagree: 4

We are in the end time, we have entered into the tribulation period (Daniel's 70th week), and before too much longer (about 3 to 3.5 yrs from now) Christians in every nation will be persecuted and put to death.
aritonang »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:23 am Agree: 1 Disagree: 0

We see that the bottom line in this list is that both the atheist in North Korea, and the islamist of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Iran are going to continue to arrest, torture and murder Christians and Christian converts.
aritonang »

Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:21 am Agree: 2 Disagree: 0

This is a good list to be updated from time to time. I live in Indonesia where according to National Constitution Chapter 29 we are free to express and practise our faith in Lord Jesus Christ.

But we would always be careful not to let what happened on 25 December 2000 again.

Peace in Christ
didymus »

Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:46 pm Agree: 2 Disagree: 0

Concerning China, Americans think of it as a homogenous whole, that it is the same throughout, what goes on in one region is the same in all the others. We need to start understanding China is a big country, multi-facetted, multi-cultural, culturally heterogeneous. Kind of like what we see in the United States, where there are significant differences in its different regions. Think of Utah, red state, conservative, Mormon culture, now think of San Francisco... not Mormon... nope, not conservative either; think Alaska, rural, conservative, Sarah Palin, now think New York, there you see Sarah Palin being crucified in literary, and artistic ways that are unimaginable for most Alaskans. We need to understand that China is also a big place, with stark contrasts, and a lot of diversity. I think if we come to understand this fact the "enigma in many ways in relations to persecution" mentioned above will evaporate.

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