At the beginning of each year, the organization Open Doors, which serves persecuted Christians worldwide, releases its annual “watch list.” The list identifies the 50 countries that most brutally persecute Christians, including the five below, which rank six through 10 on the list. Discover the first five in the previous column, and learn more at opendoors.org.
Nigeria:
Since the northern states declared allegiance to Sharia, Islamic law, enforced Islamisation has gained momentum by violent and non-violent means. Attacks by Islamic militant groups have increased consistently since 2015. The violence is most pervasive in the north, where militant groups murder, injure, abduct and sexually abuse their victims. Christians are dispossessed of their land and their means of livelihood. Many live as internally displaced people or refugees.
Christians from a Muslim background also face rejection from their own families, pressure to give up Christianity, and often physical violence.
• Thank God for the faith of believers.
• Pray for an end to the violence.
• Pray Open Doors partners can reach more with trauma care and persecution survival training.
Christians in Pakistan are considered second-class citizens and face discrimination in every aspect of life, and although there were no major attacks against churches last year, there are almost constant attacks against individuals.
Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws affect the Christian minority in particular. The number of blasphemy cases is increasing, as is the number of Christian (and other minority religion) girls being abducted, abused and forcibly converted to Islam.
Christians also experience apathy from police. Furthermore, Christians often languish in prison for years before judgment is handed down, and it is then too late to bring about change.
• Pray that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws will be changed so that Christians will be safe from false accusations.
• Pray for protection for women who suffer domestic violence and girls who are forced into marriage. Ask God to work in the hearts of their husbands to treat them with kindness and respect.
• Pray for wisdom and protection for those reaching out to help communities displaced by last year’s floods.
Iran is ruled by an increasingly strict Islamic regime, and when people from Muslim backgrounds become Christians, they can only meet in secret house churches. They are at great risk of being arrested and prosecuted. Iranian house church leaders and members have received long prison sentences involving physical and mental abuse.
Iranian Christians may be banned from education and lose their jobs. Women who trust Jesus are likely to be violently punished or divorced by their husbands and have their children taken away from them.
• Pray that Jesus will set many more hearts free in Iran
• Pray that Christianity will no longer be portrayed as a foreign idea
• Pray for strong faith and courage for Christians meeting in secret.
The Taliban’s takeover in August 2021 has forced most Christians either further underground or away from the country. Many (if not all) house groups closed, with believers forced to leave behind everything they own. Following Jesus remains a death sentence if discovered.
The militant group leaves no room for deviation, meaning Christians — almost all of whom are converts from Islam — must keep their faith secret. Leaving Islam is considered punishable by death.
• Pray for the protection of secret believers and that God’s close presence will bring peace, joy and hope to their hearts
• Pray that those who have fled will be led to places where all their needs are met.
• That the Holy Spirit will soften the hearts of the Taliban leaders toward women and religious minorities
In 2019, Sudan’s government introduced exciting changes guaranteeing basic human rights. However, mass protests led to the resignation of the prime minister in January, and there are fears that Sudan will return to the authoritarian years of the former president. Although the death penalty for leaving Islam has now been abolished, there are fears that this punishment could be reinstated.
Social attitudes towards Christians have not changed, especially in areas outside the capital. Christians are still vulnerable to extreme persecution from both their communities and their own families, particularly if they have converted from Islam. Converts may face sexual assault and domestic violence, as well as being vulnerable to imprisonment and violence. Since the military coup, four churches have been forced to close.
• Pray for peace to prevail and that God will establish rulers who enforce lasting respect for human rights.
• Pray for church leaders engaging with their Muslim counterparts.
• Pray that believers from Muslim backgrounds will grow in their knowledge of Christ and have wisdom to speak courageously.
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