Religion is one of the most significant aspects of a human’s behavior. In fact, it affects our attitude and the way we think about specific issues, ideas and principles. The majority of the population is focused on their belief about God and its existence. There are numerous denominations that teach different things about His role to human’s life, but it points towards one thing and that is spirituality.
Christianity has changed and has somewhat grown throughout history, and so has every religion in the world. However, there are places which are not safe and restrict anyone to freely express their affirmation on what they believe to be true and right.
Top-10-list.org has compiled a list of Top 10 Countries Unsafe for Christians and explains why they are unsafe to enter.
1. Saudi Arabia:
There is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia whatsoever. Non-Muslim worship is forbidden and conversion to Christianity can be punishable by death. In October of 2010, 12 Pilipino Christians and a priest were arrested for holding a service in a home. They were all charged for blaspheming against Islam and banned from entering the country.
2. Somalia:
Somali Christians practice their faith in secret and are constantly in fear of being found. In recent years, at least ten people have been killed for practicing Christianity. Some women have also been raped and other people have been kidnapped with no signs of return. Islam is the official religion; there is no legal provision for freedom of religion.
3. Maldives:
The Maldives is a chain of small 1,200 lands located in the Indian ocean, just southwest of Sri Lanka. Adherence to Islam, the state religion since the 12th century, is mandatory in order to become a citizen and almost all of the country’s 300,000 people are Muslims. The president of the Maldives has even declared that the island nation has no room for any religion other than Islam. Any Christians found to be practicing their faith are held captive by the government and imprisoned for an undisclosed period of time.
4. Syria:
In the past, Christians, like many other minorities in the region, have lent their support to those regimes that have guaranteed their security and religious freedom.
After decades of protection by a secular dictatorship, the Qusayr ultimatum warned of a darker dawn for Syria’s Christian community. As the 15-month conflict rages with no end in sight, Syria’s many Christian minorities have come face to face with the emerging threat posed by radical Sunni Islamists. These elements have established themselves as a key factor in Syria’s future, backed by immense political and economic support from the Arab world and indifference from the West.
5. Yemen:
Islam is the state religion for Yemen. Foreigners do have some religious freedoms, but evangelism is sternly prohibited.
Muslim Yemenis are not allowed to convert and if they attempt to convert they face persecution and worse death. Christians are constantly abducted and held against their will and occasionally murdered. Christian worker Johannes Hentschel and his wife and 3 children were all abducted in the Yemeni province of Saada. Three other abducted Christians, bible students, were found dead by the Saudis.
6. Nigeria:
Boko Haram, a jihadist terrorist organization in Nigeria, carried out many attacks against Christians in 2011. The government failed to prosecute and even investigate the incidents. Religious freedom abuses are reportedly done local governments as well.
Recently, a riot in Gombe City erupted where 4 people died and 2 churches were vandalized. 15 pews were also torn out of the Bishara Baptist Church and burned as thousands of Muslim youths looked on.
7. Laos:
The state religion in Laos is Buddhism, despite the Christian population being approximately 200,000. The communist state led government is already belligerent and spiteful. In fact, Christians receive that kind of treatment to those who have authority to exercise power over them. In fact, Christians refrain from worshiping freely because of fear and restrictions placed by the government. In recent years, a large of Christians that were killed, arrested, driven out, and held against their free will.
8. Iraq:
The target of cruelty and cold-heartedness in Iraq is Christians, wherein they are victims of abuse, injury, ill treatment, killings, and bomb attacks. The primary religion here is Islam, despite the fact their government is under parliamentary democracy. Freedom to stand up for what you believe and freedom to have a voice is still limited.
After the run-up March 2010 elections, many Christians began to flee their villages and settle in the Nineveh plains. Things became even grimmer with attacks on church buildings and other religious institutions belonging to Christians in 2010. This resulted in the deaths of over 58 Christians in bomb attacks throughout Baghdad.
9. North Korea:
For decades, North Korean banned all religious expression except for the personality cult centered around its brutal dictator, Kim Jong-Il. Anyone one found with a bibe in hand was considered to be a South Korean spy and was to be executed immediately.
It still remains to be seen whether his son, his successor will be more lenient. Many Christians still fear prosecution and death as no religious restrictions were uplifted as of yet.
10. Indonesia:
Indonesia is home to largest Muslim population in the world. There is a great openness to the gospel, despite persecution and the church has been growing at a rate of 5% per year.
However, out of 25 million Christians in Indonesia, more than 13 million are without a bible. As more and more people convert, the gap between believers and those who own a bible grows.
Christians are constantly threatened and churches are constantly bombed. Many Christians have been forced to undergo Muslim conversion rituals in order to stay alive.
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