Release International’s annual Persecution Trends report is featuring on Revelation TV’s flagship programme. The report, which has been picked up widely by the media, is also covered in an extended podcast by partner ministry, Voice of the Martyrs, Canada.
Links to the podcast and Revelation TV’s programme are given below.
2022’s Persecution Trends report highlights West Africa as a hotspot for Christian persecution over the coming year. Islamist extremists are gaining ground in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa, including Burkina Faso and Mali.
Christians are being targeted in bombings, killings, kidnappings and school burnings. Jihadists have assaulted religious leaders and places of worship and forced churches to close and meet in secret. The situation is set to grow worse as French troops withdraw from the area.
Christians targeted
A Release International partner says life for Christians in the Sahel region now resembles Nigeria, where Boko Haram terrorists, Islamic State fighters and Fulani militants are active. For all three, Christian communities are their prime targets.
Along with Nigeria and the Sahel, Release International names Afghanistan and India as countries of concern.
Since the US withdrawal allowed the Taliban to recapture Afghanistan, Christians face an even greater risk of violence and betrayal by family and neighbours. A Release International partner has received reports of ‘homes being searched and some individuals receiving threats’.
Major food shortages in Afghanistan and North Korea are only likely to increase pressure on Christians, especially those in hiding.
And in India, a growing number of states are imposing anti-conversion laws, aimed at preventing Christian outreach among the Dalit community where many are turning to Christ.
Religious nationalism
Right-wing Hindu militants have been attacking Christians and churches as religious nationalism gains ground, demanding that every true Indian must be a Hindu.
Release International CEO Paul Robinson warns: ‘In many nations, we see a rising tide of intolerance towards Christians, accompanied by a rise in violence. Persecution is set to get worse with growing food and climate insecurity.’
Release International’s Persecution Trends report features in the latest edition of Revelation TV’s programme, The Persecuted Church. The programme has been aired repeatedly throughout the month.
And the annual review of forthcoming persecution hotspots also features in an extended podcast by Release International partners, Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. You can listen to it here
