Religious oppression has skyrocketed worldwide since 2020, when 80 million people were forcibly displaced and 260 million Christians faced some form of violence, according to a new report by World Relief and Open Doors US.
“The number of people globally who have been displaced by persecution, violence, human rights violations and disruptions of public order has surpassed 120 million for the first time in recorded history. And the number of Christians who face high levels of persecution or discrimination because of their faith has risen to 365 million, accounting for one in seven Christians globally,” the two faith-based human rights groups said in “State of the Golden Door: Persecuted Christians and the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Process.”
In its accompanying “World Watch List” for 2024, Open Doors identified 50 countries where Christians faced the highest levels of oppression from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. The 13 nations labeled “extreme” were led by North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea and Yemen, with traditional U.S. allies Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia also populating that category.
Iraq, Myanmar, China, Cuba, Mexico and Egypt were among the remaining 37 nations labeled as having “high” or “very high” levels of persecution of Christians, Open Doors explained. Altogether, nations on the list accounted for 317 million of the world’s persecuted Christians.
Open Doors also reported one in seven Christians were persecuted globally from 2022 to 2023 as were one in five Christians in Africa and two in five in Asia. Additionally, 4,998 Christians were murdered, 14,766 churches and properties were attacked and 4,125 Christians were detained.
The joint World Relief and Open Doors report also highlighted how persecuted Christians and other people of faith have been affected by the ups and downs of U.S. refugee resettlement and asylum policies since 2016.
Refugee resettlement during the Trump administration plummeted to record lows, with only 11,000 arrivals in 2021 in accordance with the goal set during his last year in office. By comparison, a Biden administration policy enabled the U.S. to welcome more than 100,000 refugees so far this year, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
“When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, 2024, 29,493 Christian refugees from the 50 countries on this year’s World Watch List had been admitted to the United States as refugees,” the “Golden Door” study reported. “That’s the highest number of Christians resettled from these 50 countries since 2016, roughly coinciding with a commensurate increase in the number of resettled refugees of all religious backgrounds and countries of origin.”
But the report also lamented the Biden administration’s crackdown on asylum, which has “significantly reduced due process protections for those fleeing religious persecution who seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Those changes include denying asylum to seekers who cross into the U.S. between ports of entry during peak periods of border crossings, requiring migrants to remain in Mexico while using a glitchy phone app to book asylum interviews and raising the credible fear standard required to determine the danger level migrants face in their countries of origin.
And refugees and migrants will face huge obstacles again depending on the outcome of the November election, the study added. “We intentionally release this report now to remind the U.S. church that our country’s refugee and asylum policies impact their brothers and sisters around the world persecuted for their faith in Jesus, and to give candidates, as they angle for Christians’ votes, the opportunity and incentive to commit to refugee resettlement and asylum policies that prioritize the wellbeing of persecuted Christians.”
The study also was designed to give Americans a window into the factors that lead refugees and migrants to flee their home countries and to seek safety in the U.S. and other nations. In fact, many remain internally displaced until the danger becomes too great.
“Those who make the difficult decision to flee face an uncertain future, full of its own risks and dangers,” the report says. “But for far too many Christians, choosing the vulnerable life of a refugee is the only way to keep themselves and their families safe from harm.”
The World Relief and Open Doors study further explains that the persecution Christians and other religious groups endure isn’t always at the hands of hostile governments: “Violence from militant religious factions is increasingly common across many areas of the globe, but especially in sub-Saharan Africa and East and South Asia, where governments struggle to control extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS-affiliated clans.”
Since assuming control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has reestablished itself as one of the world’s leading persecutors of religious minorities.
“In Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Syria, longstanding conflict has led to the near extinction of historic Christian communities that have existed since the days of the early church,” the report says. “Wherever religious extremists can operate unchecked, many Christians fear for their lives and their livelihoods.”
And Christians in America should not be concerned only for the adherents of their own faith who are persecuted and displaced, the report adds. “We believe that Jesus’ all-encompassing command to love our neighbors clearly extends beyond love for one’s fellow believers, as illustrated by the ‘Good Samaritan,’ who was the model of neighborly love for a vulnerable traveler of a different religious tradition.”
The report recommends numerous actions U.S. Christians can take to help refugees and migrants, including praying for their deliverance from danger and that they find dignity and value wherever they land. The U.S. government is urged to seek diplomatic solutions to global religious persecution, to set the annual refugee ceiling at least 125,000 or higher and to reject changes to the asylum process.
“Beyond refugee resettlement, as the Congress and both the current and next administration address the security and humanitarian challenges at the border, our commitment to protecting those with well-founded fears of persecution must remain non-negotiable,” World Relief President Myal Greene said. “As a nation, we cannot turn our backs on those seeking refuge from religious oppression. The price of inaction is far too high.”
Compassionate ministries for refugees and immigrants offer Christians powerful ways to give witness to their faith, Open Doors US President Ryan Brown said. “Christians around the world face persecution and many have been forced to flee their homes. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, who desperately need our advocacy and prayers.”
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His mission: To help Americans care about global religious persecution