Open Doors World Watchlist Released

For the third straight year, the isolated communist nation of North Korea remains atop an annual list of countries where Christians are persecuted most.

Over the past few years, the Open Doors International "World Watch List" has listed the top 50 countries where Christians suffer the most according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith. The list is compiled using a specially designed questionnaire covering various aspects of religious freedom.

This year, of the countries holding the top 10 positions, five are Islamic-dominated countries, four have communist regimes in power, and one country — Bhutan — is dominated by Buddhism. And at the top of that list is once again North Korea — "observed as one of the greatest threats to the regime’s power," according to the 2005 World Watch List.

"North Korea is the most repressive nation in the world," said Open Doors USA President Dr. Carl Moeller. "It certainly deserves its shameful ranking on the World Watch List."

"It breaks my heart to hear some of the atrocities against our brothers and sisters there."

Although exact figures are difficult to obtain, it is believed that tens of thousands of Christians are currently suffering in North Korean prison camps, and at least 20 Christians were shot or beaten to death in 2004 while in detention.

"The government will arrest not only a suspected dissident but also three generations of his family to root out the ‘bad’ influence," Moeller said. "North Korea is suspected to detain more political and religious prisoners than any other country in the world."

Yet, according to reports received by Open Doors, 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 World Watch List," Moeller added.

Right below North Korea on the World Watch List was again Saudi Arabia, where all citizens are required to be Muslims and where apostasy - conversion to anther religion - is punishable by death. "Even foreign Christian guest workers have been imprisoned and deported for quietly practicing their faith, despite government assurances that foreigners can worship privately," according to Open Doors. In 2004, Indian citizen Brian O’Connor was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and 300 lashes for "spreading Christianity" in the Islamic kingdom. After seven months in prison, he was released and deported.

Rising one position into third place this year was Vietnam. One of the few communist nations in the world, Vietnam considers Christians to be a hidden enemy, Open Doors reported. "Authorities fear that Evangelical Christianity - suspected to be connected to the United States - is being used in a peaceful revolution against the communist system," the ministry stated. Although the constitution provides for religious freedom, the government considerably restricts unrecognised religious activities. During the past year, a new law on religion was introduced banning any religious activity deemed to threaten national security, public order or national unity. The new ordinance prohibits unregistered church services in private houses.

Other countries listed on the WWL’s top 10, from No. 4 to 10, include: Laos, Iran, Maldives, Somalia, Bhutan, China and Afghanistan. This year Somalia and Afghanistan make their first appearance on the list. Dropping out of the top 10 are Turkmenistan (No. 12) and Myanmar (No. 17).

Another change to note was Somalia, which moved up four places to seventh in the rankings primarily because "Christian converts from Islam are paying a high price for their new faith, especially in rural parts of this most lawless country in the world."

On the positive side, Christians in Sudan, ranked No. 19, are hopeful that a new peace accord will lead to greater access to goods and services previously denied. Under the latest accord, the mainly Christian and animist south will remain autonomous for six years. It is estimated that more than two million people have died in Sudan during 21 years of civil war.

No. 11-25 on the World Watch List are: Yemen, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Comoros, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, Myanmar (Burma), Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Brunei and Nigeria (north).

Rounding out the list are Nos. 26-50: Cuba, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Mexico (Chiapas), Tunisia, Qatar, India, Nepal, Colombia (conflict areas), Indonesia, Algeria, Turkey, Mauritania, Kuwait, Belarus, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Syria, Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya (northeast), Ethiopia and Bahrain.

According to Open Doors, the ranking of each country depends on the total points assigned to each country based how each question on the questionnaire is answered.

The questions, each assigned a point value, differentiate between the legal, official status of Christians and the actual situation of individual Christians. Attention is paid to the role of the church in society and to factors that may obstruct the freedom of religion in a country.

In the cases where information is unconfirmed or incomplete, a "variation" factor is weighed into the final total, thus some countries may be ranked lower on the list because complete information is not available.

The list is based on evaluation and testimonies obtained by Open Doors’ indigenous contacts, field workers and from members of the Persecuted Church.




Kenneth Chan
Ecumenical Press