Christian charity Open Doors’ annual World Watch List has found 245 million Christians globally experience high levels of persecution – up 14 per cent from last year.
Spokesperson for the charity, Tamsin Taylor told Premier Asia is becoming a new “hotbed” for persecution against Christians as one-in-three Asian Christians now suffer high levels of persecution.
“India (10th) and China (27th) have both seen a dramatic worsening in the situation for Christians and both of those have millions and millions of Christians in their population,” she explained.
“So it’s a really significant deterioration.”
India – the world’s largest democracy – entered the World Watch List top ten for the first time as Hindu extremists “act with impunity and violent attacks on Christians and churches rise”.
The charity explained this is driven by growing ultra-nationalism, which has brought waves of violence against India’s significant non-Hindu religious minorities.
The persecution of Christians in China is the worst it has been for more than a decade.
Taylor said the government is to blame: “The government are cracking down on Christians in China.
“They want people in China to be loyal first and foremost to the Communist party and Christians are loyal first and foremost to Jesus. So, the Chinese government doesn’t like that very much.”
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