Christian persecution is a much bigger problem than we are aware of and than Western governments want to recognize and act on, believes the American-Egyptian historian Raymond Ibrahim. He has written a number of books about Islam and Christian persecution, including “The Sword and Scimitar” and “Defenders of the West”. On 13 November he was in Denmark.

Raymond Ibrahim is considered in some circles to be a controversial figure, and he is also believed to be connected to the Islam-critical movement Counter-Jihad.

On 13 November, he visited Copenhagen, where he was to speak at the Trykkefrihedsselskabet about whether Christian persecution is one of the world’s biggest problems. In this connection, the Challenge has spoken to Raymond Ibrahim on the same subject.

“Overall, the persecution of Christians worldwide is higher than ever before with 360 million believers facing high levels of discrimination and violence. In 2022, 5,621 Christians around the world were killed for faith-related reasons. Another 4,542 Christians were illegally detained or arrested, and 2,110 churches were attacked, many destroyed,” says Raymond Ibrahim.

The figures come from the World Watch List 2023, which was recently published by the international humanitarian organization Open Doors. Each year, the report provides an overview of the 50 nations in the world where Christians are most persecuted because of their faith.

If you look more closely at the numbers, the report shows that on average one in seven Christians (14%) is persecuted around the world. In Africa, this figure rises to one in five (20%), while in Asia it is as much as two in five – which means that a full 40% of all Christians are persecuted there. The report shows that Christians experience extreme levels of persecution in the 11 countries that top the list of the 50 nations. This includes assault, rape, imprisonment or murder, for example, due to attending religious services, often in underground churches.

In the most recently published list, North Korea is number one, followed by countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan and India. According to Raymond Ibrahim, the majority of Christian persecution originates from Islamic countries or from countries where Islam dominates. “Most of the extreme persecution directed at Christians in 9 of the 11 nations where persecution peaks either comes from Islamic oppression or takes place in countries where Islam dominates.

This means that approximately 80% of the absolute worst persecution globally takes place in the name of Islam. I know it’s not politically correct to say it out loud, but this trend applies to the entire list, not just the top 11 countries. The persecution experienced by Christians in 39 out of the 50 nations also comes either from Islamic oppression or in countries where Islam is the majority.

These countries are governed by different forms of Islamic law. It can either be directly enforced by the government or society. But it can be family members who persecute their own relatives. Although North Korea is the country where the persecution is worst and is not Islamically justified, there is at least a hope for Christians that if Kim Jong-un’s regime collapses, the persecution of Christians will also immediately stop.