According to media reports, almost 200 people, including many Christians preparing to celebrate Christmas, were murdered in a series of attacks in Plateau State, Nigeria over the Christmas period.
Release International has again listed Nigeria as a country where persecution is set to rise in its latest annual Persecution Trends report.
The annual Persecution Trends report, published on December 27, also highlights India, Pakistan and China, among others, where persecution is increasing.
India
As India heads towards elections in 2024, violence towards Christians is growing. Partners of Release International warn that persecution has increased under the current Hindu nationalist government. And if the ruling BJP is given a fresh mandate in 2024, they fear persecution will rachet up again.
RI partners warn: ‘The persecution of Christians and other religious minorities increases dramatically with each passing month.’
Two factors are indicative of the growing hostility towards Christians. The first is the spread of anti-conversion laws and the arrests of Christians who share their faith.
The second is the ethnic violence in Manipur in northeast India which broke out in May 2023, and turned into religious persecution. Indian media estimate 175 were killed. Release International (RI) sources say around 300 churches were burned down and 60,000 people were driven from their homes.
Release International’s partner in India says, ‘Minorities in the state continue to grapple with the after effects of the violence that erupted.’
One pastor has been unable to hold Sunday services for the past for five months. In September, he had to resort to conducting services over the telephone. Another congregation whose church was destroyed in May has been unable to hold meetings. To care for his congregation, the pastor must visit them individually.
RI’s partners say threats and persecution have now spread to surrounding areas. But wherever possible, pastors continue to conduct Sunday services.
RI is working through its partners to train church workers and encourage Christians. They are also appealing to the international community to apply pressure on the BJP government to protect its vulnerable Christian minority.
One teenage girl from Manipur who fled 1700 miles to escape the violence was supported by Release International partners and is now being looked after.
‘Thumleima, her brother and two of their friends arrived here with torn dirty clothes, no spare clothing or shoes, and hungry,’ they said. ‘But we immediately took them to an AICC home where they got cleaned up, ate a meal, and received treatment for some minor medical needs.’
A Christian who was arrested on false charges of forced conversion was set free after a legal intervention by RI’s partner. And a pastor was given medical care after being attacked by militants.
Other countries highlighted in Release International’s annual Persecution Trends report include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Eritrea, Iran, China, and North Korea. Release International has launched an appeal to help Christians in India and elsewhere who are oppressed for their faith.
Says CEO Paul Robinson: ‘Anti-Christian persecution is rising in India and other nations around the world. Hostility is turning to violence. Christians are being attacked and driven from their homes. Release International works with partners on the ground in these countries to target aid, support and relief where it is most needed. They urgently need our help.’
Key points of the 2024 Persecution Trends report include:
Pakistan:
The August attack in Jaranwala, where a mob destroyed 23 churches and set fire to 80 houses, reflects the growing persecution in Pakistan. Violence is often fuelled by false allegations of blasphemy against the Christian minority.
In Jaranwala, an unwarranted blasphemy accusation was levelled against two Christian brothers. The Jaranwala incident led to many copycat claims of blasphemy against the Christian minority.
The incident impacted Christians across the nation, even in remote areas, where incidents have gone unreported.
Release International’s partners in Pakistan say, ‘Due to the rising persecution, Christians are losing their jobs and Christian children face bullying in schools.’
Nigeria:
2024 looks set to be another year of suffering for Christians, as inaction and complacency by the authorities emboldens Islamist terror groups who are attacking Christian communities.
The latest is the Christmas massacre across Plateau State which had by December 30 claimed almost 200 lives.
Release International’s Nigeria partner has confirmed the attacks took place during Christmas celebrations, and say, ‘We are deeply saddened by these incidents and condemn these killings and attacks on innocent Christians during their worship.’
‘Our hearts go out to beleaguered Christians in Nigeria. We join them in their grief,’ says Paul Robinson, CEO of UK-based Release International which supports persecuted Christians around the world.
RI’s partner reports: ‘The persistent killing of small groups and individuals is spreading across the central regions of southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states.’
Jihadists are attacking Christian communities, ‘dispossessing them of their lands by destroying their food supplies and forcing them to convert or flee.’
In 2023 alone, it’s estimated that more than 6,000 people were killed by Islamist terrorists and radicalised Fulani militia.
The Fulani have forced Christian villagers to pay millions of naira in protection money. But even after those sums have been paid out communities still suffer raids from armed terror groups, especially in southern Kaduna.
Christians are also being kidnapped for ransom, and their farmlands destroyed by Fulani militants, who force villagers to flee or face starvation.
RI’s partner says the terror groups are funded and supported both locally and internationally.
‘We call for prayer for the Church,’ adds Paul Robinson, and for Nigeria to take decisive and effective action to protect its vulnerable Christian communities.’
Release International is working through partners to provide trauma counselling and to train Nigerian pastors. These pastors are continuing the work of evangelism at great risk to themselves in regions controlled by Boko Haram.
Trained pastors are also conducting prison evangelism with members of Boko Haram who have been captured and are being held in custody. RI partners say: ‘We continue to stand because of your sacrifice and support.’
China:
Persecution is deepening in China, where Christians face increased harassment from the authorities.
State-registered and underground churches alike have been prevented from meeting and some have been closed. Release International’s partners say many Christian leaders have been arrested and imprisoned on charges of being a threat to national security. Others are being charged with fraud, including church leaders who take up offerings.
Children of Christian parents face discrimination in school and have been prevented from attending Christian meetings.
Release International partners say the Chinese Communist Party has adopted an aggressive policy of social control and the ‘securitization of everything’.
President Xi Jinping has been vigorously pressing his goal of religious ‘sinicization’. The aim is to eliminate elements that do not offer complete support and compliance with the leadership, the values and the ideology of the Communist Party.
‘The goal is to eliminate Christianity within China altogether,’ say Release International’s partners.
This process of sinicization is expected to gather momentum in 2024. There is already strict censorship online and a ban on unauthorised religious content.
Release International partners expect censorship to tighten further in the new year. A new and comprehensive anti-espionage law means that Christians who communicate with foreigners are at risk. That risk is growing as China combines artificial intelligence with aggressive surveillance.
Afghanistan:
Aside from the risk of the Taliban, Afghan Christians have experienced growing persecution from their communities and extended families. This is set to continue into 2024.
When families discover a member has become a Christian, some reject them and try to force them to recant their faith, sometimes with threats and violence. They may also report them to the local authorities or religious leaders.
Persecution also comes at the hands of the Taliban. Christians discovered meeting together face arrest and detention. And if the Taliban find Bibles or Christian content on their mobile phones, Christians may be taken into custody. Some believers have been beaten or imprisoned.
One Afghan Christian told Release International’s partners: ‘The fear of persecution is increasing. We live in fear everywhere we go.’
Eritrea:
Despite some releases, the number of Christians imprisoned in Eritrea continues to rise. A raid in the capital Asmara last April rounded up more than 100 Christian college students, who had gathered to record songs for social media.
There are now estimated to be more than 500 Christians behind bars in Eritrea – double that of the previous year. They are jailed indefinitely and without trial.
North Korea:
Release International’s partners note that Christianity gained ground in North Korea under cover of the Covid pandemic. Christians were able to use the lockdown to their advantage to listen to religious radio broadcasts, and downloads of digital Bibles and Christian video content spread rapidly during that period.
This was made possible by authorities suspending the usual house-to-house searches for fear of spreading the virus.
Release International’s partners are broadcasting Christian media into North Korea and say jamming efforts are being stepped up to block those signals. They report, ‘We continue to provide Bibles by land, sea, air, radio and Internet.’
And where North Korean Christians escape to the South, RI’s partners are providing support and training.
Iran:
Persecution is tightening in Iran, as the authorities try to prevent the rapid growth in Christian converts and the rise of house churches in that country.
Release International partners say ‘The recent unrest and upheaval inside Iran demonstrates that people want justice and freedom.
‘The government is concerned that disillusioned Muslims are becoming Christians [and is] determined at all costs to stem this. The overall goal is to exterminate the Persian-speaking Church.’
The authorities are expected to pursue their campaign to halt the spread of Christianity into the new year. They are likely to continue arresting house church leaders and Christians involved in evangelism and teaching. And the trend of imposing longer prison sentences on Christian workers is set to continue.
Release International partners say, ‘These pressures have led to an exodus of some believers from Iran, which is likely to continue into 2024.’
For more details of Release International’s current appeal to help persecuted Christians, go to: https://releaseinternational.org/campaign/thumleima/
Release International is active in some 30 countries. It works through partners to prayerfully, pastorally, and practically support the families of Christian martyrs, prisoners of faith and their families. It also supports Christians suffering oppression and violence, and those forced to flee.