Gary Stagg
While Canadians start 2021 getting used to new pandemic restrictions, Christians from India to Yemen are being refused food, medical care and other necessary aid, experiencing increased surveillance, violence and discrimination, because of their faith. This year’s World Watch List (WWL), produced annually by Open Doors International, highlights how the global pandemic has exacerbated the systemic discrimination and persecution that over 340 million Christians experience on an ongoing basis. The 2021 World Watch List (WWL) will be released at an online event on January 16th, via Facebook and YouTube. WWL rankings reveal the persecution stories behind the headlines. COVID-19 has been a catalyst for repression of minority Christians, who in countries from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to Yemen and Sudan were at times denied aid; some were told it was because “your Church or your God should feed you” or even “the virus was created and/or spread by the West.” The violent Islamist group Al Shabaab in Somalia blamed Christians for the coronavirus, announcing it was spread “by the crusader forces who have invaded the country and the disbelieving countries that support them.” Sometimes, such as in an incident in Sri Lanka, coronavirus was the pretext for police to visit Christians’ homes to investigate church members and activities. The World Watch List (WWL) is the only instrument actively measuring the persecution of Christians, world-wide, annually. This year, for the first time ever, all top 50 countries score levels of at least “very high” persecution; the top 12 scoring “extreme” levels of persecution. To compare, in 2020, 34 countries registered a “very high” level of persecution. Beyond the top 50, four more countries also score “very high,” showing the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. Overall, 74 countries — one more than the previous year — showed extreme, very high or high levels of persecution, affecting at least 1 of every 8 Christians worldwide. The top twelve countries ranked as having an “extreme” level of persecution include: North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea and Yemen. Gary Stagg, Executive Director of Open Doors Canada, comments: “As we grapple with restrictions here, we can learn a great deal from our brothers and sisters living in countries where their faith costs them dearly, every year. They know they are not alone, because we have not forgotten them. The World Watch List helps us advocate for them intelligently, and pray for them intentionally that they would be able to stay, as lights in dark places.” https://www.opendoorsca.org/
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