Christians face harassment in over 160 countries as restrictions reach record levels: Pew study

Mar 13, 2024 by Jill

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post:

In an alarming trend, Christians experienced harassment in 160 countries in 2021, according to a comprehensive study of 190 countries published by the Pew Research Center, which revealed that government restrictions on religion also reached an all-time high.

The study, which is part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, showed that both government actions and social hostilities contributed to the harassment of religious groups. Government restrictions on religion reached an all-time high, with 183 countries imposing various forms of limitations, the highest number since the study began in 2007.

Christians, as the largest religious group globally, faced harassment in various forms, from derogatory statements to physical violence.

The study found that Christians were harassed by governments in 160 countries, an increase from 155 in the previous year. This harassment ranged from subtle forms of discrimination to overt acts of violence and oppression.

Muslims faced harassment in 141 countries, down from 145 in 2020.

Jews were harassed by governments and social groups or individuals in 91 countries in 2021, down from 94 countries in 2020, the third highest total of any religious group, the study said, noting that Jews make up just 0.2% of the world’s population.

In terms of physical harassment, which included property damage, assaults on people, detentions, displacements and killings, the study reported incidents in 137 countries, with governments being the primary perpetrators in 100 of these.

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