Rapport juri li żdiedet il-persekuzzjoni kontra l-Insara

“Christians are pigs. You don’t deserve to live.” These were the words of an extremist militant spoken to Christian man Elia Gargous, kidnapped by Islamist militia Al Nusra Front, outside Rableh, western Syria, which bluntly summarize the content of the Report of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on anti-Christian persecution “Persecuted and forgotten. A Report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2015-2017”, presented today in Milan.

Thirteen Countries. The Report, that examines the situation in thirteen Countries (China, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, Turkey, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and North Korea), is based on research conducted at local level by ACN. The findings show:

“in the period 2015- 2017 Christians were victims of extremism, religious nationalism, totalitarian regimes and of acts of violence directly or indirectly funded by the West, coupled by Western governments’ failure to end the ongoing genocide in the Middle East and in other world regions.”

The Report denounces “violations of fundamental human rights: violence, including rape, unlawful detention, unfair trial, prevention of religious assembly and peaceful (religious) expression.” In terms of the number of people involved, gravity of the crimes and related impact, the Report clearly shows that Christian persecution has reached unprecedented peaks.

In fact, not only are Christians the most persecuted religious community, but a considerable number are victims of the most heinous forms of persecution. The overall effects of this dramatic situation are “exodus, destabilization and loss of hope.”

Syria’s Christians now numbered 500,000, a fall of 1.2 million – or two-thirds within five years –. In Aleppo numbers dropped from 150,000 to barely 35,000, a fall of more than 75 percent. The Report shows that in Iraq, the Christian population showed a decline from 275,000 in mid- 2015 to below 200,000 two years later.

Taken as a whole, this evidence proves conclusively that Christians in Syria and Iraq have fallen victim to a Daesh-perpetrated genocide, as defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as adopted by the United Nations. Genocide against Christians has also taken place in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram, an “affiliate” of Daesh, set about a campaign of violence to ensure the faithful “will not be able to stay.”

Failure by governments to take the necessary steps to stop genocide and bring the perpetrators to justice – as set out in the Geneva Convention – represented a significant setback for suffering Christians.

Main findings: The Report shows that in Saudi Arabia “Christianity is illegal. The State claims tolerance of private worship by non- Muslims – but death penalty for Christian converts from Islam”;

in China “new regulations led to more churches destroyed and crosses pulled down. House Churches are under increased pressure to conform to Communist ideology or disband”;

in North Korea “Christians convicted are routinely sent to political internment camps where they experienced extra-judicial killing, torture, starvation, forced abortion and sexual violence”;

in Egypt “more than 100 were killed in three major attacks in Tanta, Alexandria and Minya. There are ongoing instances of individual Copt Christians being killed by extremists”; 

Eritrea is marked by “increased government clampdown on Christians, imprisoning those who oppose its increasing control of religious groups”;

in India “attacks drastically increased since the March 2017 elections. 316 incidents against Christians were reported in the first five months of 2017”;

in Iran “the Church experiences land confiscations, visa refusals, targeted surveillance and intimidation tactics”;

in Iraq “Daesh tried to eliminate Christianity in areas under their control, including by destroying churches and forced conversion”;

in Nigeria “in addition to the violence of Boko Haram, rising Fulani attacks have seen Christian villages devastated and many killed. Church reports indicate local government and military collusion in the murder of Christians as well as supplying funding and weapons to extremists”;