A blistering report by the religious organization known as Aid to the Church in Need notes a sharp uptick in the number of Christians who say they are being persecuted for their faith.
It should come as no surprise that Christians have been persecuted for centuries. Something that is just as surprising, however, if that there are students all around the United States who are learning about genocide that happened in the twentieth century but most of them also know close to nothing about religious-based oppression that is happening around the world today.
Why Is This Overlooked?
One of the main reasons that modern acts of religious oppression and downright genocide is not being discussed in schools and in other places is because the victims of these genocide attacks are Christians.
In most school curriculums, Christian cultures are often portrayed as the oppressors. While this has occassionally been true, it does not erase the fact that believers today are struggling to express their faith openly. This is the viewpoint that has been portrayed for years by journalists and academics.
The Reality of the Situation
The report released by Aid to the Church in Need, which is organized and chaired by George J. Marlin, that has some pretty devastating findings. The report is called “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith, 2015-17.”
“In 12 of the 13 countries reviewed, the situation for Christians was worse in overall terms in the period 2015-17 than within the preceding two years,” the paper reads.
The report goes on to not that genocide has been reported and recorded in countries like Iraq, Syria, and northern Nigeria. The attempted genocide undertaken by ISIS militants as well as some affiliates such as Boko Haram are cited as examples. The report also singles out North Korea as a state where genocide happens as well as many other forms of torture. Just a few forms of oppression that are mentioned include forced abortion, hanging Christians on crosses over a fire, starvation, and even running Christians over by steamrollers.
This is not something that is hidden in these countries either, but rather done publicly. Radical groups like ISIS will kill converts to Christianity without batting and eye. This is a goal of Islamists, which can be summarized by the “eradication of Christians, and other minorities.” There are even some areas, like Sudan, where the killing of these minorities and Christians is organized by the government.
What Needs to Be Done?
The gravity of this situation can be terrifying and traumatizing, but that does not mean that now is the time for Christians to sit back and do nothing. In fact, now is the time for action.
The report says this on the subject: “The defeat of Daesh [ISIS] and other Islamists in major strongholds of the Middle East offers the last hope of recovery for Christian groups threatened with extinction.”
The glimmer of hope in this situation comes from the actions of Coalition Forces fighting the Islamic State. Recently, U.S. Defense Department officials reported the recapture of the Syrian city of Raqqa, which the radical terror group dubbed as their “capitol”. This military feat not only crushes the morale of ISIS fighters, but also delegitimizes their image as a powerful force for many Muslims in the region.
So what can you do if you cannot go out and fight? It is important to educate as many people as possible on the current genocide that is happening to Christians in these countries. If we continue to ignore it, the persecution of Christians living outside the West will continue. This is something we simply cannot allow.
~ 1776 Christian
