1. North Korea is known for its intolerance of any Christian affiliation due to its notorious regime. The citizens are enforced under a communist government that focuses on the principals of Kim Jong Il. Secretly, an estimated 500,000 believers practice the word underground. The Christian missionaries who live to spread God's word in N. Korea are relentless in faith even though consequences may arise. North Korean militants are merciless in their beatings and often persecute many believers.

2. Saudi Arabian Christians face a chain of repression and persecution for practice, conversions, and possessions related to that of Christianity. Saudi Arabia's aim is to implant the Islamic creed so citizens MUST be Muslim. The laws that King Abdullah established to reconcile religious tolerance is a mere facade that often deceives the world. Reports fly in and out about deports, deaths, and martyrs that occur inside the country that states "All citizens must be Muslims."

3. Iran - When stories of Iranian Christian converts are traced, arrests happen to prevent underground church formations. Many arrested Christians are taken into custody, but never make it out due to torture and possible killings. Evangelizing is prohibited under Iranian law, however, it is reported that Middle Eastern countries are finding information on Christianity through the satellite media and this is strengthening the future of Christianity.

4. Maldives - With a chain of islands, Maldives is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Around these islands, many indigenous tribes are approached with the word of God. Any suspects or converts of Christianity are immediately arrested and imprisoned for going against the government. The officials clearly state that Christian missionaries are not to enter the country and will be expelled due to the frenetic attempts of the Maldives government. Maldivians’ hatred for Christianity is extreme and they do not hide their wrath against Christians. 


5. Yemen - Often raided with wars and attacks, Yemen finally adhered to the Shari'a law of the Islamic religion. While Christian conversion is revolted against, the missionary work of foreign agencies focusing on young youth in building its movement and spreading Christianity in Yemen are also discouraged. Christian workers with other aid agencies are forbidden to share their faith or to hand out literature. In the Shari'a law conversions away from Islam results in the pain of death.

6. Afghanistan: Recent Taliban militants have held Korean missionaries hostage in Afghanistan. Religious freedom is not free in a place where war is rampant; it comes with the cost of being threatened, killed, and tortured. Still, the glory of God still exists even in a volatile situation.

7. China - Growth in Christianity is spurring the nation that holds an estimated 6.7 billion people. However, many of these missions are done privately due to the Communist government. Religious practices are controlled by authorities and persecution is getting worse. However, Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one the largest Christian movements preached, "Despite all the persecution and suffering, God is calling more and more people in China."

Comments (2)

Tiffany wrote on October 18, 2008

Title: November 9th is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church If you want to learn more about the persecuted church and how to help, a great organization to look into is The Voice of the Martyrs- their website is www.persecution.com- you can request their newsletter there, as well as a free copy of a book called Tortured for Christ- it's the story of Richard Wrumbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, who spent 14 years in prison in communist Romania for sharing his faith. And just the other week I read a great book called Safely Home by Randy Alcorn- it's a novel, but it's primary purpose is to show the situation Christians in China face- it's very well researched and a number of the elements in the story are drawn from real life events. If you want to write to Christians who are in prison for their beliefs, you can go to www.prisoneralert.com- the site has the addresses of imprisoned Christians, as well as a translation tool that allows you to select certain phrases that you can print out in their language. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

pkwak wrote on October 22, 2008

Title: ... Great informative article! report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0