North Korea has been stripped off its title as "the most dangerous place on the planet to be a Christian" on Open Doors USA's 2022 World Watch List and has been replaced by Afghanistan. The development was reported during a virtual press conference held on Wednesday morning.
The Christian Post reported that Open Doors USA takes into account persecution in more than 60 countries and considers "on-the-ground expert consensus about what's happening around the world to Christians who are targeted simply for their faith," the organization's CEO David Curry explained. The group's World Watch List measures "pressure, intolerance and violence against the Christian faith worldwide."
Curry revealed "the most seismic changes in the history of our research" in this year's World Watch List, in which, for the first time ever, Afghanistan was named as "the most dangerous place on the planet to be a Christian," replacing North Korea, which is not at second place for the first time in 20 years. Curry clarified however that it was not North Korea becoming better that got them ousted from the top spot, but because "Afghanistan has gotten worse."
Afghanistan's take over of the top spot in Open Doors USA's list of countries where Christians are persecuted the most comes after the U.S.' withdrawal of troops in August 2021 and the fall of the country into the hands of the Taliban. Curry recounted how one young Afghan woman "fled for her life and went into hiding" when Afghanistan fell under Taliban rule. The woman was in danger because not only was she female, but she was also a Christian.
Open Doors USA conversed with the woman, whose story was recounted by Curry. He said that a few years ago, the Taliban captured her father because he was Christian and "tortured him for months and then killed him." Months later, her brother was also taken by the Taliban, never to be heard from again.
"It's no doubt that she knows where her fate is, and thus she and her mother are now on the run," Curry remarked. The human rights advocate argued that the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan has caused a global rise in Islamic extremism even outside of the Middle Eastern country's borders.
According to Curry, a list of names of prominent Christians was circulated amongst the Taliban in September 2021, shortly after Afghanistan fell under their rule. He added that the people on the list "were among the first to be hunted."
"The Taliban's interpretation of Islam considers Christians to be traitors, enemies of the state, enemies of the tribe and community. They are infidels from Islam, and in their mind, the punishment is death," Curry explained. Now, Christians in Afghanistan are "either on the run or in hiding."
Those who want to see the full list of countries where it's dangerous to be a Christian can visit Open Doors USA's website here.
