The Hall of Shame
The worst 10 countries persecuting Christians.
(Number 1 being the worst offender.)

1. North Korea

For the fifth year in a row, North Korea heads the World Watch List as the worst violator of religious rights for Christians. We were able to trace more up-to-date information, which indicated that more Christians were arrested in 2006 than in 2005. Everyday life in North Korea is inhuman. Between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are currently undergoing appalling suffering and torture in prison camps. The North Korean government considers Christianity to be a tremendous threat to stability in the country. The government pressure on Christians continues unabated. But amidst all the harshness in the country, the local Christians are dedicated to serving the local Body of Christ and are firmly standing strong during this period of relentless persecution, and winning others for Christ!

2. Saudi Arabia

In Sharia-ruled Saudi Arabia, the deplorable state of religious freedom has remained unaltered for years.  Four East African Christians were harassed and arrested when meeting for worship during the second half of 2006. After being detained for more than a month in tortuous conditions, the believers were deported to their home countries. Reportedly, they were not formally informed of the charges against them. However, the four had allegedly been detained for “preaching to Muslims, planting churches and gathering ladies and gentlemen together for prayer.’’ Under the kingdom’s strict interpretation of Islamic law, apostasy (conversion to another religion) is punishable by death. Public non-Muslim worship is prohibited, although members of the royal family insist that Christians are free to worship in their own homes. Practice has proven otherwise. 70 Expatriate Christians were arrested in 2006 for preaching and witnessing to their faith.

3. Iran

Islam is the official religion in Iran, and all laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of Sharia law. Religious freedom has deteriorated considerably since hard-line conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in 2005. Various Christian groups known to use literature and other means to spread their faith among the majority Shiite Muslim population were targeted in 2006. In at least eight known incidents, former Muslims who had converted to Christianity were arrested and held in custody for several weeks before being released. In most cases, they were forced to pay large bail amounts and were told their cases remained open for possible criminal prosecution. Under Iran's strict apostasy laws, any Muslim who leaves Islam to embrace another religion faces the death penalty. However, a former army colonel, who converted to Christianity and was falsely accused of hiding his faith, was released after two years in jail.

4. Samolia

Somalia has no constitution or any legal provision for the protection of religious freedom. Islam is the official religion, and social pressure is strong to respect Islamic tradition. Less than one percent of ethnic Somalis are Christian, practicing their faith in secret. At the beginning of June 2006, the capital Mogadishu fell to an alliance of Islamic militias. The Islamic Courts Union imposed Sharia law in the capital. This was bad news for Somalia’s handful of Christians. Though it is hard to determine a connection to the political developments, at least six Christians were killed for their faith in Somalia in 2006. An Italian nun was killed, possibly as a result of remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI when quoting a medieval text on violence in Islam. Some children of Somali Christian refugees in Kenya have allegedly been kidnapped by Muslim relatives and taken to Islamic institutions in Somalia for «rehabilitation».

5. Maldives

In the archipelago of the Maldives, Islam is the official state religion and all citizens must be Muslims. Sharia law is observed, which prohibits the conversion from Islam to another religion. A convert could lose citizenship. It is prohibited to practice any other religion than Islam, which is considered to be an important political tool in stimulating national unity and maintaining government power. Thus it is impossible to open any churches, though foreigners are allowed to practice their religion in private if they don’t encourage citizens to participate. The Bible and other Christian materials cannot be imported apart from a copy for personal use. In the country, one of the least evangelized countries on earth, there are only a handful of indigenous believers, and they live their faith in complete secrecy. There is a total lack of respect for religious freedom in the Maldives. Christians have to meet in complete secrecy.

6. Yemen

The Yemeni constitution guarantees freedom of religion but it also declares that Islam is the state religion and that Sharia is the source of all legislation. The Yemeni government allows expatriates some freedom to live out their faith, but Yemeni citizens are not allowed to convert to Christianity (or any other religion). Converts from Islamic background may face the death penalty if they are discovered. During the past year, several Christian converts were arrested and physically tortured for their faith. At least one was put under severe pressure to renounce his new faith, to which he succumbed. These incidents, relating to the situation of Christians in Yemen, is a real cause for concern.

7. Bhutan

Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Officially, the Christian faith does not exist and Christians are not allowed to pray or celebrate in public. Also, the government forbids Christian house gatherings that involve several families. Religious workers are denied visas to enter the country. Many Christian children face discrimination in school. Higher education in most cases is denied when officials find out that the student is a Christian. For Christians with government jobs, discrimination is also the main issue, and Christian believers are being deprived of government jobs simply because of their faith. The import of printed religious matter is restricted. Harassment and pressure by Buddhist zealots, especially in strong Buddhist areas, is the main cause of concern for many Christians. Believers are not only experiencing pressure from the authorities but also from Buddhist clerics and are sometimes faced with physical assaults and imprisonment. In 2006, two imprisoned indigenous believers were released at the end of July.

8. Vietnam

Vietnam is one of the last communist-ruled countries in the world. Although the constitution provides for religious freedom, the atheist regime tries to keep religion under strict control with a system of obligatory registrations. Many churches have chosen to remain unregistered because of the unreasonable restrictions the government imposes on registered churches and believers. From time to time the Vietnamese government holds campaigns and closes churches, especially in the Central Highlands. Arbitrary arrests, harassment, imprisonment and fines are still the order of the day. It is fairly safe to assume that the Vietnamese government is very good at presenting a positive image regarding human rights and religious freedom to the world at large, and some western countries are only too eager to accept what Hanoi is showing them. However, independent information reveals that the reality on human rights differs greatly, from official government propaganda. Religious persecution continues in more remote regions. It is therefore not time to sit back and relax, because religious persecution in Vietnam continues unabated.

9 Laos

Laos is a communist state, like Vietnam and China. Laos’ constitution provides for religious freedom. The Laotian authorities allow limited presence of Christianity and put believers under strict surveillance. The regime limits the number of open churches and regularly closes churches, especially in the countryside. The church in Laos experiences societal pressure against converts who renounce evil spirit worship, surveillance at every level by the state, and social control. Still there are many unregistered activities and the church seems to be growing despite persecution. Independent reports from the region appear to show that the situation for Christians has improved in 2006. Persecution was definitely less harsh, less brutal than before. In 2006 there were no reports of Christians being killed for their faith. However, Laos is still detaining about 10 Christians for their faith. On the positive side, the Catholic Church was able to ordain a priest for the first time in 30 years.

10. Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is an Islamic republic with no churches and a Christian population of about 0.01% (3,300). After domination by Muslim fundamentalists, the country is now ruled by a coalition government. Freedom of religion as stated in the nation's constitution remains a contradiction, as Islamic law is promoted as the law of the land, which prohibits any other religious activity. Christians need to be very careful. Foreigners caught in outreach work are jailed and usually deported. Converts to Christ suffer family pressures, repeated verbal abuse and intimidation, beatings, loss of employment and imprisonment. The arrest of Abdul Rahman, an Afghan national, demonstrated the difficulty of being a Christian, as he faced trial and execution for apostasy. Rahman's case is the local judiciary's first known prosecution case for apostasy in recent decades. He was freed after being deemed mentally unfit to stand trial; he ultimately found refuge in Italy. An avalanche of media coverage of this case has resulted in the arrest and deepening harassment of other Afghan Christians in the ultra-conservative Muslim country.