Christians increasingly persecuted around the world as ‘contemporary and historical factors converge’

EXCLUSIVE: Reports have been showing this for years religious intolerance is on the rise around the world face increasing authoritarian rule and the continued spread of Islamic extremism, but a report released Thursday shows that Christianity, above all others, is taking the biggest hit.

“The world is witnessing an increasing push toward repressive control over religion, particularly Christianity, as a result of a confluence of several modern and historical factors,” Jeff King, president of the International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization, told Fox News Digital. “Christians face oppression in more countries than any other religious group, with significant challenges in regions such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia.”

The report, titled “Global Persecution Index 2025,” released by the ICC on Thursday, highlights which nations have become the worst offenders when it comes to religious oppression, particularly against Christian populations, and finds that most faith-based persecution is carried out under authoritarian leaders. and by Islamic extremist groups.

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The largest concentration of “red zone” nations, countries with the harshest actions taken against Christians, including torture and death, they were found in a strip of land in Africa known as the Sahel, which includes places like Mali, Niger and Chad. However, other extremely dangerous nations for the Christian faith have been identified as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Korea.

There is a growing trend showing that authoritarian policies are on the rise globally – especially as geopolitics enter an increasingly fragile period – which has meant that more nations are stifling religion.

Christians and Muslims are the two largest religious groups in the world and consistently experience the highest rates of “harassment” – both physical and verbal – of any other group, according to a Pew Research Center (PRC) report released this month, which analyzed findings from 2022 – data that King also referred to.

While neither the ICC report nor the PRC report was able to disaggregate the exact rates of how many Christians, versus Muslims or others, were targeted for harassment, the PRC found that Christians were targeted by governments or “society groups” in more countries than any other religion , and Muslims are in second place and the Jews third.

“In many authoritarian states, Christianity is seen as a substitute for Western influence and values, which regimes often reject as imperialistic or destabilizing,” King told Fox News Digital. “Christianity and other faiths emphasize loyalty to a higher moral authority, which is inherently challenging to authoritarian regimes that demand total loyalty to the state.”

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However, while authoritarian attempts to control the hearts and minds of their citizens through repressive policies are nothing new, new and increasingly accessible technology has raised the level to which nations can persecute perceived dissent.

Technology like social media has improved freedom of speech and access to information worldwide in many ways, but spread of other technologies it has also increased oppressive authoritarian systems of hypersurveillance – even in regions not traditionally considered religiously oppressive, such as Latin America.

“Countries like Nicaragua and Venezuela, traditionally majority Christian nations, have seen a large increase in hostility toward religious groups that criticize authoritarian regimes,” King said. “The construction of religious citizens and the suppression of dissenting voices marked a new and alarming trend.

“Peoples like China has exported sophisticated surveillance technology to other authoritarian regimes, enabling tighter control and monitoring of religious groups,” he added.

Some nations increasingly view Christianity as a threat to their cultural norms, including India, which has seen a serious increase in attacks on Christians in recent years, not only according to ICC and PRC reports, but also report submitted to the United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council in February.

“In countries like India and Pakistan, social media platforms have been used to incite mob violence and spread misinformation about Christian communities, leading to targeted attacks,” King explained.

Violence and oppression of religious groups around the world are not isolated events and are indicators of a growing threat reminiscent of historical atrocities committed under similar oppressive policies.

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“Many nations are experiencing democratic backsliding, with authoritarian leaders consolidating power and silencing dissent, including religious voices,” King explained, referring to the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. “Economic crises, political unrest and social inequality create conditions in which leaders look for scapegoats or distractions, often targeting religious minorities in order to unite the majority under their rule.

“Today’s regimes draw from this book as they face similar challenges to governance,” he added. “Religion, with its ability to inspire freedom, hope and resistance, is considered the mortal enemy of their domination.

“This trend has been exacerbated by technological advances, rising nationalism and global instability, making the fight for religious freedom more urgent than ever,” King warned.