The organization Open Doors—a non-profit that examines international Christian persecution—has released their new World Watch Top 10 Violence List. The researchers looked at “persecution incidents between Nov. 1, 2012, and March 31, 2014,” and found that Christians in Nigeria face the most violence, much of it at the hands of Islamic terrorist organization Boko Haram. The list of other nations—some of which are suffering from civil unrest and internal conflicts—includes Syria, Egypt, Central African Republic (CAR), Mexico, Pakistan, Colombia, India, Kenya and Iraq.
According to Open Doors though, recently, much of the violence occurred in just three countries: Out of the 5,479 Christians killed for their beliefs, 85 percent were in Nigeria, Syria or CAR. In a statement, the director of World Watch Research said, “The list shows that violence against Christians for faith-related reasons is spread all over the globe –from India, to African and Middle Eastern countries, and to Latin America. Islamic extremism, tribal antagonism and organized corruption are the main persecution engines fueling violence, with Islamic extremism being the major engine in seven of the top 10 countries” …
