More
‘killed for faith’ in Syria in 2013 than in whole world during
2012.
 |
Christian
Deaths Double in 2014 World Watch List
|
Nearly
twice as many Christians died for their faith in the past year than
in 2012, according to Open Doors International’s 2014 World Watch
List.
Open
Doors International, a charity that supports Christians under
pressure for their faith, said 2,123 Christians were reported to have
been killed during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 2012. That compares
to 1,201 during the previous 12 months. During the most recent
period, more Christians were killed in Syria alone than were killed
globally in the previous year.
The
World Watch List, which annually monitors the media worldwide for all
reported incidents, emphasizes that this is the “very, very
minimum” count – only those who have been documented as killed.
Estimates
of the total number killed range from around 7,000 or 8,000,
according to the International Institute for Religious Freedom’s
Thomas Schirrmacher, to the lofty 100,000 estimate of the Center for
the Study of Global Christianity.
Beyond
those killed, the World Watch List recommends that three more
categories of Christians should be considered: Christians whose death
is never reported; Christians killed due to increased vulnerability,
such as those in conflict areas; and Christians who die due to
long-term discrimination.
Taking
these into account, as well as those whose deaths are reported by the
media, the World Watch List suggests Schirrmacher’s estimation is
roughly accurate, although the figure may be higher still.
“Christians
aren’t always directly killed, but are so much squeezed with
regulations and vulnerabilities that they just perish – not at
once, but in the course of years. If we would include them in the
counting, it would be an enormous number of people. However, the
precise number of Christians who die due to these factors is very
difficult to quantify,” according to the World Watch List.
Not
surprisingly, Syria heads the list of the countries in which the most
Christians were killed for their faith (1,213), followed by Nigeria
(612), Pakistan (88) and Egypt (83).
Of
the top 10, six are in Africa – with Kenya (20), Angola (16), Niger
(15) and the Central African Republic (9) joining Nigeria and Egypt
on the list.
The
World Watch List states that the number of Christians killed in the
Central African Republic is especially likely to have been
under-reported because “most analysts still failed to recognize the
religious dimension of the conflict”. The list says the same is
true of North Korea, where “it is extremely difficult to get public
information”.
Beyond
the number of Christians killed, the World Watch List focuses upon
other instances of violence, including: physical aggression; threats;
the destruction of churches or other Christian buildings; attempts to
destroy churches or Christian buildings; the closure of churches or
Christian buildings; house expulsion or destruction; kidnap for
ransom or intimidation; sexual assault; arrests; and displacement.
Considering
only the sum of violent incidents recorded, Egypt (167) tops the
list, followed by India (125) and Nigeria (118).
– ©2014
World Watch Monitor
World
Watch Monitor is distributed to raise awareness of
Christians
worldwide under pressure for their faith.
Articles
may be reprinted, with attribution.
Christian deaths double in 2014 World Watch List
--New
Year 2014 Blessings,
Bill
Hunt
