(CP) In an alarming pattern, Christians skilled harassment in 160 international locations in 2021, in line with a complete research of 190 international locations printed by the Pew Analysis Heart, which revealed that authorities restrictions on faith additionally reached an all-time excessive.
The research, a part of the Pew-Templeton International Non secular Futures venture, discovered that each authorities motion and social hostility have contributed to the persecution of non secular teams. Authorities restrictions on faith reached an all-time excessive, with 183 international locations imposing varied types of restrictions, the best quantity for the reason that research started in 2007.
As the most important non secular group on this planet, Christians have confronted harassment in varied kinds, from derogatory remarks to bodily violence.
The research discovered that Christians had been harassed by governments in 160 international locations, up from 155 the earlier yr. This harassment ranged from delicate types of discrimination to overt acts of violence and oppression.
Muslims confronted harassment in 141 international locations, down from 145 in 2020.
Jews had been harassed by governments and social teams or people in 91 international locations in 2021, down from 94 international locations in 2020, the third-highest whole of any non secular group, the research stated, with Jews making up simply 0.2% world inhabitants.
By way of bodily harassment, which included injury to property, assaults on folks, detention, displacement and killing, the research recorded incidents in 137 international locations, with governments as the primary perpetrators in 100 of them.
Injury to property was the most typical sort of bodily harassment, occurring in 105 international locations. Europe had the best proportion of nations reporting religious-related property injury, with incidents such because the closure of 21 mosques in France and assaults on Catholic and Jewish websites in Poland.
Bodily assaults on people due to their non secular beliefs had been reported in 91 international locations. Within the Center East and North Africa, assaults have been significantly widespread, with 75% of nations within the area reporting such incidents, together with a rocket assault on a Sunni-majority mosque in Yemen.
Detention associated to spiritual beliefs was reported in 77 international locations, with the Center East and North Africa area having the best proportion of nations reporting such incidents. In Sri Lanka, 311 folks stay imprisoned with out formal cost for alleged hyperlinks to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Authorities restrictions on faith – legal guidelines, insurance policies and actions by authorities officers that prohibit non secular beliefs and practices – have reached a brand new excessive globally, in line with the evaluation.
The worldwide median degree of presidency restrictions on faith elevated to three.0 in 2021 from 2.8 in 2020, indicating tightening management over non secular practices. Nonetheless, the worldwide imply degree of social hostility involving faith decreased barely, from 1.8 in 2020 to 1.6 in 2021.
In 2021, 55 international locations, representing 28% of the entire, skilled “excessive” or “very excessive” ranges of presidency restrictions. This was a slight lower from the 57 international locations, or 29%, that reached this degree in 2020, 2019 and 2012. Regardless of this slight lower, the general median index rating for all international locations elevated as a result of extra international locations displaying a rise in Index Rating in comparison with these , which present a decline, the research stated.
The research additionally highlighted the twin nature of presidency actions relating to faith. Whereas imposing restrictions and interesting in harassment, governments in 161 international locations supplied advantages to spiritual organizations, similar to funding non secular schooling and sustaining non secular buildings. This paradoxical state of affairs raises questions in regards to the motivation of presidency coverage in direction of non secular teams.
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