INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH (IDOP):  SUMMARY OF CRITICAL NATIONS

Nov. 9, 2025; 6:30-8:00pm @                                                Live-streaming at

Websites: persecution.org (Int’l Christian Concern—download monthly interactive prayer guide); opendoorsus.org; globalchristianrelief.org;morningstarnews.org;chinaaid.org;persecution.com (Voice of Martyrs); meconcern.org (Middle East Concern); releaseinternational.org; articleeighteen.com (Iran); missionnetworknews.org; barnabasaid.org

Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Notes: Countries are listed mostly according to Open Doors’ World Watch List rankings (topdown);

IDP’s:  Internally Displaced Persons; Pop(ulations) of nations are estimates.

I.  NORTH AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA: (Pop: 25 mill.): For 15 yrs. Syria has experienced massive devastation from civil war between Jihadist groups & Pres. Assad’s gov’t. But last Dec., various rebel groups joined forces to topple Assad’s regime.  While promising a more democratic gov’t, the new leader (al-Sharaa) has roots with ISIS. Assad’s Alawite af-filiation & Christians, esp. converts, are being attacked—all Syria’s minority religious gps. are vulnerable.

• 14 mill. have been displaced, with half being IDPs; 7 mill. children are in need of humanitarian aid

• Yet many are being helped by Christian aid groups & local churches in neighboring countries

• The Kurds also face an unknown future, as they have been attacked by Turkey & Syria’s jihadists

YEMEN: (Pop: 33 mill.) Ten years of civil war bet. Sunni & Shiite (Houthi) tribes has caused a major humanitarian crisis; strict Islamic laws means that the few Christians remaining in Yemen (all converts from Islam) face great risks if discovered; apostasy is punishable by death.

• House churches in Houthi areas can no longer meet

• Children—about half of the population—face mass starvation & disease

LIBYA: (Pop: 7.5 mill.) With no centralized gov’t, anarchy still prevails due to rival Islamic groups; all Christ-ians are at risk—incl. 35,000 (mostly Egyptian & African) & a few hundred secret Libyan secret believers.

• Libyan converts face the most danger—from family, community, & jihadist groups

IRAN: (Pop: 91 mill.) Iran’s dictatorial gov’t continues its vicious attack on professing Christians. Converts are especially targeted, facing heavy prison sentences, torture & even death.  Yet house churches keep growing.  

• Heavy monitoring of Armenian & Assyrian churches; they can use only use their native languages

• Many are disillusioned w. gov’t hypocrisy and are leaving Islam, turning to drugs, etc., or seeking Christ

SAUDI ARABIA: (Pop: 35 mill.)  As the primary worldwide disseminator of jihadist Sunni Islam, S.A. is totally intolerant of the Gospel: only expat Christians may gather privately; Saudi converts must recant or be killed.

·      Religious police raid homes, searching for Saudis attending a Christian meeting; expats are deported

·      But a growing number of Saudi believers are becoming bolder in their witness!

IRAQ: (Pop: 46 mill.) After 2 decades of war, the number of Christians keeps declining, due to violence & discrimination from Sunni & Shiite Muslims: only about 20% remain, mostly in the north.

• Christians have suffered from continuing attacks, seizing of their lands, kidnapping of their girls, etc.

• Converts are vulnerable to aggression from local Islamic militias & from their own families

ALGERIA: (Pop: 47 mill.) Having closed almost all Protestant churches, the gov’t has increasingly enforced blasphemy laws to silence Christian witness. Believers are meeting underground despite the harassment.

·      Converts face great pressure to recant because of police (in cities) and family pressure (in rural areas)

·      Jihadists are accelerating their influence throughout the country

MOROCCO: (Pop: 39 mill.) Although highly westernized, Morocco continues to put pressure on believers, esp. converts in rural areas.  Christians comprise less than 1% of Morocco’s Sunni Muslims.

• Without permission to gather publicly, believers must meet in house churches

• Gospel resources on the internet have been effective in reaching young people, esp. ethnic Berbers

TUNISIA: (Pop: 12 mill.) The small number of Christians, esp. in the rural areas, are concerned about the increase in persecution by Pres. Saied’s gov’t., in contrast to the country’s traditional moderation.

·      Jihadist movements are getting stronger in the rural areas in the south, endangering all believers

EGYPT: (Pop: 115 mill.) Christians of all backgrounds (10% of pop.)—esp. Copts in the south & converts—are targeted by Muslim extremists; some are unjustifiably imprisoned by local police and/or by gov’t officials.

·      Christian girls (esp. Copts) have been kidnapped by the hundreds, forced to marry Muslims, trafficked

·      Hundreds of Christians have been killed by extremists (incl. during church services), forced from homes

·      Gov’t has delayed issuing church building permits, while hundreds of buildings lie in ruins

II.  AFRICA

SOMALIA:  As a war-torn, impoverished country, Somalia struggles to have a functioning gov’t.  Local communities are totally intolerant of Christians; Al-Shabab (extreme Jihadists) seeks to kill any they find.

·      Almost 4 mill. IDPs are vulnerable to raids, brutal treatment, disease, and malnutrition

·      Al-Shabab continues invading KENYA & ETHIOPIA to kill Christians & enslave women and girls

·      The gov’t of Pres. Mohamud, helped by U.S. Africa Command, aims to remove Al-Shabab from Somalia

ERITREA: “North Korea of Africa”- Pres. Afwerki’s Marxist gov’t is totally intolerant of Evangelical Christianity; only Muslims, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches are “recognized.”

·      The country has the second highest percentage of slaves in the world (after North Korea)

·      Over the years, thousands have been imprisoned (incl. in metal shipping containers) w/o trial, tortured & starved; some pastors are still in prison after 20 years, while others have died there.

·      Gov’t arrests whole families suspected of having home meetings, separating children from parents

·      In ten yrs., 600,000 have been displaced, fled the country: many killed, imprisoned, forced into slavery

NIGERIA:  More Christians are killed each year in Nigeria than in all the other countries in the world combined: mostly in the Northern & Central states, by militant Fulani Islamists, Boko Haram & Islamic State; several thousand die yearly, without protection from the Gov’t, which aims to Islamize the country.

·      Muslim militants are free to attack Christian villages—killing; destroying homes, farms & church bldgs.

·      Over 3 mill. Nigerians are IDPs, mostly Christians, vulnerable to attacks from Jihadists

·      Thousands of Christian women/girls are seized, abused, forced into Muslim marriages, held for ransom

·      Despite pleas from Church leaders, U.S. Gov’t won’t put Nigeria back on “Countries of Particular Concern”

SUDAN:  The civil war continues:  last year, two factions of the Sudan military began fighting each other, causing over 9,000 civilians to be killed, 8 mill. people displaced, and about 200 churches to be closed.  Once more, the Darfur region faces genocide from Muslim militias, while the Nuba Mtns., w. hundreds of thousands of Christians, are being bombed again.

·      Both the gov’t & the general population are staunch Muslims and target all believers, esp. converts

·      Pray for the return of a moderate civilian gov’t, such as the one briefly in power in 2021

MALI:  Two recent military coups have disrupted this historically stable country:  Muslim Jihadists have stepped up their attacks on the fragile junta’s rule & the civilian society; their violence against believers in the north is now spreading southward.  Pray for a civilian gov’t to return to power.

·      Abductions of Christians have increased; they have been either killed or kept as sex slaves

·      Pray for the believers in the south to support those who have fled from the north

BURKINA FASO:  Plagued by military coups and broken promises to restore a civilian gov’t, B.F. has seen a dramatic increase & expansion of Jihadists‘ attacks on Christians in recent years:  believers are attacked in workplaces & church gatherings, where many are murdered; hundreds of churches are forced to close.  

·      2+ mill. are displaced; many are Christians; pray for God’s protection & sovereign hand on the nation

NIGER: Last year’s coup has further destabilized the country; Christians in the south & southwest regions have suffered from the invasion of radical Jihadists from NIGERIA & BURKINA FASO.   

·      All believers are vulnerable to their attacks—especially children, who are kidnapped & abused  

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC:   Jihadists & criminal gangs have attacked each other for over a decade, bringing chaos in C.A.R.  Christians, caught in the middle, are victims of direct & indirect attack on their lives.

·      Women/girls are susceptible to being abducted, forced into marriages in war zones & IDP camps

MOZAMBIQUE:  Radical groups have been attacking the northern regions to establish an Islamic state.

• For over 7 years, up to 3,000 Christians have been killed, many pastors abducted & churches attacked

• Criminal gangs & drug cartels have added to the lawlessness; youth group leaders are vulnerable  

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO:  Over 100 groups of Islamists & criminal gangs have terrorized the eastern region of the D.R.C.; most are targeting Christian communities; attrocities abound! 

• Violent attacks on believers—killings, abductions, sexual violence, etc.—have caused many to abandon their homes & worship centers.  7 million have been displaced; 25% face hunger

III.  CENTRAL & SOUTH ASIA

PAKISTAN:  The continued discrimination & violence against Christians (less than 2% of the pop.) from all sectors characterizes this “Land of the Pure”; blasphemy charges against Mohammad & Quran incite mobs:  last year’s massive attack on a Christian village by 5,000 radical Muslims reminds them of the constant danger they face.  20,000 work in brick kilns, while others have different menial jobs—modern day slavery!

• Many languish in prison for years, awaiting trial; more are accused & imprisoned each year

• Yearly, about 1000 women & girls (mostly Christian) are abducted (even at school) & forced to marry Muslims—many girls are preteens and their parents can’t take them back because they are “Muslims”

• Many Christian families give children Muslim names to avoid persecution in gov’t schools

• But as of this Jan., the gov’t is no longer requiring Christian students to study Islam—praise God!

AFGHANISTAN: The strict Islamists (the Taliban) rule this war-torn country with an iron hand, searching house-to-house for Christians, and amid the increasingly impoverished economy, have offered money to anyone who will identify Christians—to be tortured & killed. Two mill. have fled the country for religious freedom & jobs, leaving everything behind, yet many are coming to Christ!    

• The fierce tribal culture (ethnic groups) also requires swift punishment for anyone abandoning Islam

• Everyone faces the repressiveness:  women are forbidden to work; girls are limited to primary school; diets are strictly controlled; dress codes are enforced (women must be totally covered)

• House churches have been forced to go even further underground—about 10,000 converts remain in the country; some can still meet together more openly, esp. in the mountainous regions!

INDIA:  The Hindu Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Modi, continues to promote attacks on Christians; radical mobs roam the villages & towns of most of the states, esp. those with anti-conversion laws, to force lower caste believers to return to Hinduism and to drive Christians from their homes & communities.   Despite the freedoms guaranteed in the national constitution, the ruling party aims to make India an all-Hindu nation.  

• The number of violent attacks on Christians recorded each year is probably much higher

• Sex trafficking is a horrendous problem:  millions of women & girls are exploited within & outside India

• While Modi was re-elected as P.M., his party lost the majority—pray this will be a turning point

• Despite the persecution, native evangelists & pastors continue evangelizing & planting churches!

UZBEKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN:  Similar histories: dictatorial gov’ts; severe repression of evangelical Christians; monitoring of gatherings—only non-Muslims are allowed in registered churches; converts can be heavily fined, lose jobs & even jailed.  Open evangelism is prohibited; Christian literature is banned; families can hold hostage a convert to Christ, esp. women—forced to re-convert, coerced to marry Muslims.

• Good news: The Uzbek gov’t is beginning to relax some of its strict laws against religious freedom!

BANGLADESH: Christians, comprising less than 1% of the pop. (170+ mill.), are targeted from all sides:  the majority Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists & tribal religious groups.  Converts to Christ are the most heavily persecuted—losing their lands, banned from their communities, and even jailed. 

• The small no. of believers among the 1 mill. mostly Muslim Rohingya refugees are also persecuted

• As expected, women & girls are the most vulnerable to these attacks

• Recent riots over the prime minister’s policies have spread, attacking Christians & other minorities

BHUTAN:  Though this Buddhist nation is transitioning to a democracy, the gov’t does not officially recognize Christian churches.  Believers, esp. converts from Buddhism, are viewed as non-citizens, with no rights.

• Converts are pressured to recant or else they may be disowned by families and may suffer violence

• Worship gatherings are carefully monitored and open evangelism is highly restricted

NEPAL:   In recent years, a spike in violence against non-Hindu minorities has shown the influence of neighboring INDIA.  Christians are increasingly targeted, esp. as they evangelize in the countryside. 

• Radical groups in this historically moderate nation are pushing for a return to a Hindu theocracy

• Anti-conversion laws & pressure from the general society have not stopped the growth of the Church!

IV.  EAST & SOUTHEAST ASIA

NORTH KOREA:  The extreme persecution of Christians continues in the world’s worst police state:  hundreds of thousands have been killed over the decades. Dictator Kim Jung-Un’s regime brutally enforces the worship of the Kim dynasty. Citizens are forced to spy on one another.  Hard labor camps, torture & death await anyone found to be a believer (& all the family).  Hundreds are repatriated from China yearly.

• Of the estimated 200,000–400,000 secret believers, 50,000+ are dying in these inhumane camps

• Christians must meet in utter secrecy, since gov’t spies can infiltrate their small groups

• Yet the Gospel continues to be spread through radio programs beaming into NK, Bibles smuggled, etc.

• Except for the Pyongyang (the capital) elites, the whole country is on the brink of starvation

MYANMAR (BURMA):  The 75+ year-old civil war has escalated:  with the 2021 military coup, the ruling junta has violently enforced Buddhist nationalism via the Army.  Christians from minority tribes & Buddhist converts suffer immensely: villages being bombed, 2 - 3 mill. people being displaced, many thousands enslaved & killed, esp. among the Chin & Kachin (80-90% Christian each) & Karen (20-30%) tribes. 

• Over the decades, the Burmese Army has destroyed about 3,000 Christian villages, esp. in Chin State

• Believers (about 6 mill. total) need protection from these attacks so they can be restored (spiritually & physically), gather freely, & be more equipped to serve Christ among the millions without hope

CHINA:  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi tightens the nation-wide crackdown on Christianity:  forced shutdown of churches that don’t comply with “Sinicization” (Xi’s Marxist policies) & house churches; widespread arrests & long imprisonments continue, with torture of church leaders, human rights lawyers & minority religious groups. Sophisticated electronic surveillance has increased the effectiveness of the attacks.

• Churches may remain open only if they promote CCP requirements, incl. using an edited version of the Bible promoting CCP ideology—used by the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic churches

• Police remove the youth from meetings; spies are sent to underground churches to break them up

• Unspeakable human rights abuses occur w. religious & ethnic minorities (1 - 2 mill. are imprisoned)

• The CCP forces doctors to deny relig. groups treatment & to harvest organs of prisoners of conscience

• House churches go deeper underground to escape surveillance: to worship more freely & reach youth

LAOS:  The Communist gov’t and Buddhist leaders have stepped up their violence against Christians and monitoring of registered churches.  Believers are forced to worship in unregistered house churches, but if caught, pastors are imprisoned.  Converts from Buddhism are attacked by their local communities.

• Tribal Christians, esp. the Khmu & Hmong, are heavily persecuted by Buddhist & animist communities

• Yet believers are reaching out to most of the 150 ethnic groups; more Bibles & teachers are needed!

VIETNAM:  The Communist Party tightly controls churches throughout Vietnam, esp. among tribal peoples (80% of all believers); churches are heavily monitored in cities; tribal groups attack converts from Buddhism

• The new president threatens to continue the harsh treatment of those not complying w. Communism

• Despite fierce attacks & imprisonments, the evangelical church has grown (half of the Hmong people)!

INDONESIA:  Historically moderate, this archipelago nation is now more radicalized after the rise of foreign-funded Jihadist groups., w. an increasing no. of violent (incl. bomb) attacks. Converts are the most vulnerable.

• Radical groups are increasing in areas where local churches are evangelizing; mobs break up services

• A new president is a moderate, and Christians are hopeful that he will help ease the current tensions

• Many church building permits are still not granted: they need hundreds of signatures of local residents

• Pray for unity among the various denominations and for open-hearted/-minded Muslims to see Christ

MALAYSIA:  Malays (dominant ethnic group—about 70% of the pop.) are assumed to be Muslims, according to the constitution; Christian Malays are pressured to re-convert or face the penalties of Islamic law.  

• All believers (incl. Chinese) face discrimination; churches are monitored; reaching Malays is outlawed

V.  LATIN AMERICA

CUBA:  The Communist Gov’t keeps suppressing religious freedom & speech critical of its policies.  Gatherings of evangelicals in unregistered churches are closely monitored; hundreds of leaders are detained/imprisoned. 

• Yet the underground churches continue to grow through active evangelism!

NICARAGUA:  Viewed as a threat to Pres. Ortega’s Marxist regime, Christians are increasingly persecuted: many are falsely accused, jailed, tortured, their properties are seized & their gatherings are closely monitored.    

• But the oppression is bringing God’s children together: last year, believers from 6,000 churches were organized to hold a large evangelistic campaign (over 8 events), declaring Christ to a million people!

COLOMBIA: Armed resistance groups, drug cartels & hostile indigenous communities in rural areas are escalating attacks on believers & churches, due to their evangelistic activities & stand for human rights.

• Many church leaders are attacked by these groups; untold numbers have been martyred over decades

• Armed groups have increased attacks on worship services, forcing believers to avoid gathering together

MEXICO:  Organized gangs, run by drug cartels, threaten, kidnap, and kill believers who evangelize & speak out against corruption; indigenous tribes in the south expel evangelicals from their homes & communities. 

• Rising crime has threatened the lives of believers & their gatherings throughout Mexico

• Christian leaders & converts face extortion, as family members are kidnapped for a ransom

• Drug cartels’ control along the southern U.S. border has caused a sharp rise in smuggling & trafficking

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