The one glaring fact concerning the persecution of approximately 100 million Christians around the world today is that the overwhelming majority of it is being committed by Muslims of all races, nationalities, languages, and socio-political circumstances: Muslims from among America’s allies (Saudi Arabia) and from its enemies (Iran); Muslims from economically rich nations (Qatar) and from poor nations (Somalia and Yemen); Muslims from “Islamic republic” nations (Afghanistan) and from “moderate” nations (Malaysia and Indonesia); Muslims from nations rescued by America (Kuwait) and Muslims from nations claiming “grievances” against the U.S. (fill in the blank __).
This fact is underscored in Open Doors’ recent 2015 World Watch List—a report that highlights and ranks the 50 worst nations persecuting Christians. It finds that “Islamic extremism” is the main source of persecution in 40 of the top 50 countries—that is, 80 percent of the nations where Christians are persecuted are Muslim. As for the top ten worst countries persecuting Christians, nine of them are Muslim-majority—that is, 90 percent of nations where Christians experience “extreme persecution” are Muslim.
Still, considering that the 2015 World Watch List ranks North Korea—non-Islamic, communist—as the number one worst persecutor of Christians, why belabor the religious identity of Muslims? Surely Christian persecution is not intrinsic to the Islamic world, but is a product of repressive regimes and other socio-economic factors—as the North Korean example suggests and as many analysts and media maintain?
Here we come to some critically important but blurred distinctions. While Christians are indeed suffering extreme persecution in North Korea, these fall into the realm of the temporal and aberrant. Something as simple as overthrowing the North Korean regime would likely end persecution there overnight—just as the fall of Communist Soviet Union saw religious persecution come to a quick close.
In the Islamic world, however, a similar scenario would not alleviate the sufferings of Christians by an iota. Quite the opposite; where dictators fall (often thanks to U.S. intervention)—Saddam in Iraq, Qaddafi in Libya, and ongoing attempts against Assad in Syria—Christian persecution dramatically rises. Today Iraq is the third worst nation in the world in which to be Christian, Syria fourth, and Libya 13th.
The reason for this dichotomy is that Christian persecution by non-Muslims (mostly communists) is often rooted in a particular regime. Conversely, Muslim persecution of Christians is perennial, existential, and far transcends this or that regime or ruler. It is part and parcel of the history, doctrines, and socio-political makeup of Islam—hence its tenacity; hence its ubiquity.
Moreover, atheistic communism is a relatively new phenomenon—about a century old—and, over the years, its rule (if not variants of its ideology) has greatly waned, so that only a handful of nations today are communist.
On the other hand, Muslim persecution of Christians is as old as Islam. It is a well-documented, even if suppressed, history.
To further understand the differences between temporal and existential persecution, consider Russia. Under communism, its own Christians were grossly persecuted; yet today, after the fall of the USSR, Russia is again reclaiming its Orthodox Christian heritage (and is prominent among Western nations for showing support for persecuted Christians).
North Korea—where Kim Jong-Un is worshipped as a god and the people are shielded from reality—seems to be experiencing what Russia did under the Soviet Union. But if the once mighty USSR could not persevere, surely it’s a matter of time before tiny North Korea’s walls also come crumbling down, with the resulting religious freedom that former communist nations have experienced. (Tellingly, the only countries that were part of the USSR that still persecute Christians are Muslim, such as Uzbekistan, ranked #15, “severe persecution,” and Turkmenistan, ranked #20, also “severe persecution.”)
Time, however, is not on the side of Christians living amid Muslims; quite the opposite. The histories compiled by objective, medieval Muslims make abundantly clear that century after century of religious persecution and discrimination is responsible for transforming territory that in the seventh century made up half of the Christian world—Egypt, Syria, Turkey, North Africa—into what is today casually called the “Muslim world.”
One example: in Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi’s (d. 1442) authoritative history of Egypt—which was a major center of Christianity before Islam invaded—anecdote after anecdote is recorded of Muslims burning churches, slaughtering Christians, enslaving their women and children. The only escape then—and even today, as groups like the Islamic State make clear—was for Christians to convert to Islam.
After recording one particularly egregious bout of persecution, where reportedly some 30,000 churches in Egypt and Syria were destroyed, the pious Muslim historian concludes: “Under these circumstances a great many Christians became Muslims.”… Keep reading
AnneM says
The Christians were the REAL victims in this 1,400- year-old war.
Angemon says
I’d say that the Jews have it worse.
Matthieu Baudin says
Your a wonderful man Raymond Ibrahim!
MKG says
The report is flawed in just one respect. The communist countries top the list in persecution of Christians, however they suppress and persecute all religions, not just Christians.
The Chinese are most transparent with their views on religion when they say, “religion is poison.” Based on the chicom point of view, the use of religion to influence others is offensive to human rights and human dignity. They have been known to crack down hard on religious movements because of it. Their point of view also dictates that most religions influence people to do things that a normal person would not do, like blow themselves up in the name of some deity.
Examples;
The Dali Lama in Tibet.
The chicoms are not offended by the Dali Lama directly. They are offended by how people were required to honor the Dali Lama. Tibet had a caste system and a slave system, and based on an individuals station in life some had to bow deeper than others. Speak to the Dali Lama and your tongue is cut out. Look at the Dali Lama, and your eyes are gouged out. Those are just some examples. It was the Dali Lama’s ministers who were enforcing this in order to assert their authority upon others of a lower caste.
Fa Lin Gong
The Chinese Constitution requires all citizens to seek and practice a form of spiritual development. The Chinese government allows churches, mosques and Buddhist and Taoist temples to operate in China. I have seen them. People can attend of their own free will, but active recruitment is against the constitution and the law. Jehovah’s Witnesses would not last two seconds in China. Many people are not interested in organized religion so they pursue various meditative practices. Enter Fa Lin Gong, a standing meditation very much like Chi Gong or Tai Chi Quan. At first the government fully endorsed Fa Lin Gong, but after a while things started to get weird. People stopped associating with neighbors, missing work and became introverted. The breaking point came when Fa Lin Gong gurus presented a test of meditative accomplishment for practitioners. If one can remain calm while burning alive, one will have attained the ultimate accomplishment of Fa Lin Gong.
Remember the famous picture of the burning monk in Viet Nam?
This lead to people setting themselves and sometimes their children on fire in an effort to find some form of enlightenment or salvation. Any government would crack down on that.
Islam.
The Chinese have been fighting islam since the opening of the silk road, mostly for revenue tax on caravans. Muslims are allowed to gather and pray in China just like Christians and Buddhists. However, if they start any crap the chicoms will hammer them, as we have seen in Xinjiang province.
In china you are free to practice any religion you want. You are not free to impose you religion on others, or use your religion as an excuse to violate the rights of others.
The report is correct in regards to the slow death of communism. Everyone seams to be moving towards socialism except North Korea, whom the Chinese regard as an embarrassment to communism.
sidney penny says
Raymond
You missed out Pakistan in your introduction.
Muslims from among America’s “friends” and “allies” (Pakistan) ,receiver of one of the largest US Aid without which they will collapse..
Persecuting Christians,committed by Muslims of all races, nationalities, languages, and socio-political circumstances, in Pakistan against Christians and also Hindus.
Paul R. says
Islam has been the bane of all civilized nations for the past 1400 years. While I do
agree with 95% of the points contained in this article, & comments, it has made a
major omission : Islam is also responsible for the deaths of some 120 million Black
Africans in the slave trade….Paul R.
MKG says
Excellent point. After all, why kill your captives when you can sell them? As is permitted by allah.