North Korea still ranked worst

The isolated communist nation of North Korea remains atop the Open Doors “World Watch List” of countries where Christians are persecuted. The annual list ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith.

Saudi Arabia retains the second spot on the list, followed by Laos, the Central Highlands of Vietnam and Iran. Other countries listed in the WWL’s Top 10 include: Turkmenistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and China. Myanmar and China are newcomers to the Top 10; Myanmar was ranked 13th last year and China 11th. No. 12 Pakistan (sixth last year) and No. 11 Somalia (ninth last year) fell out of the Top 10.

Iran climbed five places compared to the 2003 list, rising from No. 10 to No. 5. The change is primarily due to a considerable increase in the number of Christians being arrested and held without trial for their religious beliefs during the past year. In December, a large number of Christians with an Islamic background were also physically harmed in connection with their new-found faith.

For years, very little information about the church emerged from Kim Il Sung’s harsh North Korean regime, which is now ruled by his son, Kim Jong Il. Recent years, however, have seen a relative “flood” of information coming from North Korean refugees fleeing to China. They report that the church has not only survived, but grown. To visibly practice the Christian faith in North Korea today can still result in imprisonment and death. North Korea is ranked atop the World Watch List for the third straight time.

“North Korea is the most repressed and isolated nation in the world...it certainly deserves its hall of shame ranking on the World Watch List,” says Dr. Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors USA. “It breaks my heart to hear some of the atrocities against our brothers and sisters there. Tens of thousands of Christians are among 200,000 prisoners held in politico-labor camps. Yet we hear reports of how the church in North Korea continues to grow. Let’s continue to lift up the needs of our fellow believers in North Korea and in all the countries on the list.”

The desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the guardian of Islam, requires all its citizens to be Muslims. For a Saudi to convert to another religion, the consequences can be severe. Even foreign Christian guest workers have been imprisoned and deported for quietly practicing their faith, despite government assurances that foreigners can worship privately.

The Lao government continues to put pressure upon Christians in the country. Many were arrested and later released and several churches were closed in 2003.

Nos. 11-25 on the World Watch List are: Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Comoros, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Eritrea, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Nigeria (North), Libya, Morocco, Cuba and Brunei. Rounding out the list are Nos. 26-50: Colombia (conflict areas), Qatar, Tunisia, Russian Federation (Muslim republics of Chechnya, Kabardino Balkarya, Dagestan and Tatarstan), Mexico (Chiapas), Tajikistan, Iraq, India, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Indonesia, Algeria, Nepal, Turkey, Mauritania, United Arab Emirates, Kurdistan, Oman, Kuwait, Belarus, Jordan, Bangladesh, Syria, Bahrain and Malaysia.

The status of religious freedom deteriorated in Eritrea, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. In Eritrea, the government began actively applying a law that prohibits the practice of “new religion,” and hundreds of evangelical Christians have been imprisoned. In fact, Eritrea made the biggest jump of any country in the Top 50, going from No. 34 in 2003 to No. 18 this year. In India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, the freedom to evangelize and to change religions is coming under fire. Anti-conversion legislation has already been implemented in several states in India, and attempts are being made to introduce it in Sri Lanka.

The World Watch List is based on evaluations and testimonies obtained by Open Doors’ indigenous contacts, field workers and from members of the Persecuted Church.

An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation.

Open Doors, founded almost 50 years ago by Brother Andrew, can be contacted at 888-5-BIBLE-5 or go to www.odusa.org.

— ASSIST News Service