EGN NEWS DESK
(CP) In an alarming pattern, Christians skilled harassment in 160 nations in 2021, in response to a complete examine of 190 nations revealed by the Pew Research Center, which revealed that authorities restrictions on faith additionally reached an all-time excessive.
The examine, which is a part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures undertaking, confirmed that each authorities actions and social hostilities contributed to the harassment of spiritual teams. Government restrictions on faith reached an all-time excessive, with 183 nations imposing varied types of limitations, the best quantity because the examine started in 2007.
Christians, as the biggest spiritual group globally, confronted harassment in varied types, from derogatory statements to bodily violence.
The examine discovered that Christians have been harassed by governments in 160 nations, a rise from 155 within the earlier yr. This harassment ranged from delicate types of discrimination to overt acts of violence and oppression.
Muslims confronted harassment in 141 nations, down from 145 in 2020.
Jews have been harassed by governments and social teams or people in 91 nations in 2021, down from 94 nations in 2020, the third highest whole of any spiritual group, the examine mentioned, noting that Jews make up simply 0.2% of the world’s inhabitants.
In phrases of bodily harassment, which included property harm, assaults on folks, detentions, displacements and killings, the examine reported incidents in 137 nations, with governments being the first perpetrators in 100 of those.
Property harm was the commonest sort of bodily harassment, occurring in 105 nations. Europe had the best share of nations reporting property harm associated to faith, with incidents such because the closure of 21 mosques in France and assaults on Catholic and Jewish websites in Poland.
Physical assaults on people attributable to their spiritual beliefs have been reported in 91 nations. In the Middle East and North Africa, assaults have been notably prevalent, with 75% of nations within the area reporting such incidents, together with a missile assault on a Sunni-majority mosque in Yemen.
Detentions associated to non secular beliefs have been reported in 77 nations, with the Middle East-North Africa area having the best share of nations reporting such incidents. In Sri Lanka, 311 people remained imprisoned with out formal expenses for alleged connections to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Government restrictions on faith — legal guidelines, insurance policies and actions by state officers that restrict spiritual beliefs and practices — reached a brand new peak globally, in response to the evaluation.
The international median degree of presidency restrictions on faith elevated to three.0 in 2021, up from 2.8 in 2020, indicating a tightening of management over spiritual practices. However, the worldwide median degree of social hostilities involving faith decreased barely, from 1.8 in 2020 to 1.6 in 2021.
In 2021, 55 nations, accounting for 28% of the full, skilled “excessive” or “very excessive” ranges of presidency restrictions. This was a slight lower from the 57 nations, or 29%, that reached this degree in 2020, 2019 and 2012. Despite this slight lower, the general median index rating for all nations elevated attributable to a better variety of nations displaying a rise in index scores in comparison with these displaying a lower, the examine mentioned.
The examine additionally highlighted the twin nature of presidency actions concerning faith. While imposing restrictions and interesting in harassment, governments in 161 nations offered advantages to non secular organizations, corresponding to funding for spiritual schooling and upkeep of spiritual buildings. This paradoxical scenario raises questions in regards to the motivations behind authorities insurance policies towards spiritual teams.
© The Christian Post
