Report: Christians in Nigeria are ‘endangered’

Nigeria is one of seven countries in the world where Christians are an endangered species, a CNN report has revealed. 

According to the report, Christians can face discrimination, harassment, arrest, jail time and even death for what they believe, just like people of other faiths. However, Nigeria is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly-Christian south.

“Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group, vowed in 2009 to rid the nation’s north of all non-Muslims influence, including Christians, according to The Voice of the Martyrs, another group that tracks the persecution of Christians. More than 3,000 people have been killed since then, the organisation reports.”

Other countries on the list — considered dangerous for people of other faiths, most especially Christians — are North Korea, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Iraq.

North Korea tops the list for its open clampdown on Christians.

About North Korea the report said: “For the 12th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of places where Christian persecution is most extreme, according to Open Doors, a group that ranks countries in order of persecution.

“The organisation estimates as many as 70, 000 Christians are imprisoned in labor camps.”

Sudan follows North Korea closely, and this is what the report says about the morth-eastern African country: “Since 1999, the US Department has tracked the worst abusers of religious rights. Sudan has been on the list since its inception. The country has arrested and deported Western Christians suspected of spreading their faith.”

On Eritrea, it stated: “Just four religious groups are officially allowed to openly practise their faith in this African nation; the rest are subject to detention or worse.

“So if you’re not an Eritrean Orthodox Christian, a Sunni Muslim, a Roman Catholic or an Evangelical Lutheran, life could be tough for you here. Harsh detentions for religious dissenters are the norm, according to the State Department report.”

On Saudi Arabia, the report said: “The oil-rich monarchy doesn’t pretend to respect religious rights for any faith other than Islam.
“Sunni Islam is the official religion, and the country’s constitution is based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.

“The public practice of any other religion is prohibited, according to the State Department. Islamic leaders and government officials publicly reinforce that there is no room for Christians, and there is a strong drive to purge Christianity from Somalia, the report said of Somalia.”

In Iraq’s case, it observed: “Religious minorities, such as Christians and Yazidis, make up less than 5% of Iraq’s population.
“Since 2003, attacks against these minorities by insurgents and religious extremists have driven more than half of the minorities out of the country, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.”