2013′s Most Christian Persecuted Countries, Mostly Islamic-Controlled

From the Baptist Press, Jan. 9th:

“Islamic extremism is the prime persecutor of Christians in the world today,” said Ron Boyd-MacMillan, Open Doors’ chief strategy officer, at a Washington, D.C., news conference. Among 24 of the leading 30 persecuting countries, “it is Islamic extremists, either in government or in violent opposition forces, that are the source of the persecution,” he said.
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Eight of the top 10 persecutors of Christians — and 24 of the top 30 — are countries marked by militant Islam, according to Open Doors’ 2013 World Watch List released Jan. 8.
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“Persecution usually occurs because the church is a genuine threat to evil,” Boyd-MacMillan said. “Otherwise it can safely be ignored.

“Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies.’ He didn’t say, ‘Don’t make any.’ And all over the world millions of nameless Christians are standing up and making an enemy of unjust ideologies, cruel dictators…. And without this tidal wave of loving defiance, the world would be an awful place. And from this loving defiance, growth comes and hope stays strong.”