Religious freedom is not some nebulous concept selectively summoned in a bid to resist the ever-evolving mores of a secular world. It is a legitimate and necessary principle that ensures that religious believers, regardless of persuasion, have the ability to practise their faith without hindrance or opposition.
The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion – protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – is becoming increasingly strained, and in some cases, disappearing.
This trend is no more evident than in the latest analysis of the present state of religious freedom in the world, conducted by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, whose recent Religious Freedom in the World report, published last Thursday, highlighted that this most fundamental of rights is increasingly under threat.
Underpinned by the convictions reflected in our mission, our motto is clear: Religious freedom for all is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right. Inspired by the prophetic words of St Pope John Paul II, we see respect for religious freedom as being the “litmus test for the respect of all other human rights in a given country”.
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History has repeatedly demonstrated that where it is denied or suppressed, wider oppression usually follows.
With the publication of this report, we renew our unique distinction of being the only charity to produce a comprehensive analysis of religious freedom’s status in the world for all religions in a total of 196 countries.
The research found that statistically, over 5.4 billion people are subjected to religious freedom violations around the world. These violations can be all-encompassing and manifest in a variety of disempowering ways, including discrimination, persecution, and in extreme cases, death.
One consistent finding that emerged throughout the latest research was the worsening state of religious freedom generally around the world. In total, serious violations of religious freedom occur in 62 out of the 196 countries covered. Of these, 24 are classified as countries of “persecution” and 38 as “discrimination”.
The continent of Africa, one of the most gravely affected regions of the world, has seen a relentless rise in Jihadism, a militant Islamist ideology, with Christians facing mass displacement, famine, the destruction of churches, and even massacres, simply because of their belief in Christ.
In northern Nigeria, one of the hotspots of anti-Christian persecution, attacks by armed groups linked to radicalised Fulani herders have left thousands dead and entire communities uprooted. In the Sahel – especially in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali – whole villages have been destroyed by Islamist militias. In Sudan, civil war has wiped centuries-old Christian communities off the map.
Remarkably, we’ve entered a period where even the wonders of innovation are now being harnessed to instil fear and strip rights. We’ve noticed a growing trend in technological advancements being weaponised to marginalise religious communities in countries such as China, Eritrea, Iran and Nicaragua.
In these countries, the Government represses religion by using sophisticated methods, including pervasive surveillance, restrictive legislation, and the repression of beliefs seen as dissenting from state ideology.
Similar tactics are used in India, where Christian and Muslim communities suffer a “hybrid persecution” – a form of persecution notable for its discriminatory laws and threat of violence that are directly driven by inflammatory political rhetoric.
Draconian blasphemy laws create vulnerable Christian targets in countries where they are a minority presence. In Pakistan, Christians regularly face spurious charges accusing them of derogatory comments against the Islamic faith. Most of these claims are without foundation and are advanced to stifle religious practice among the very small Christian community.
The West, although at the lesser end of the scale, has worrying patterns in its attitude towards religious freedom. In Europe, many Christians face a growing disapproval of their beliefs in the public sphere, whether that be in the media, in politics, in the workplace or within general public discourse.
Caricatures lead to a suspicion of people of faith, and this suspicion has often been employed in subtle, even gentle forms, which the late Pope Francis characterised as “polite persecution”, effectively a form of persecution that’s done with a smile and may assume the guise of something that has one’s best interests at heart.
In an era where the twin pillars of tolerance and inclusion underlie western attitudes, a culture that continuously excludes and dismisses people on the basis of their Christianity is something that manifestly contradicts these most heralded and cherished principles.
This irony is not lost on Christians who carefully avoid sharing this aspect of their life for fear of being pigeonholed or burdened because of their faith.
Incredibly, more Christians have lost their lives for their faith in the last century than in the previous 1,900 years of Christian history.
In 2025, there’s still a tremendous amount of liberating to be done around the world.
- Brandon Scott is advocacy officer with Aid to the Church in Need Ireland. Full report at acnireland.org
