Persecuted Christians: “Open Doors” report. 215 million believers suffering from intolerance. North Korea top of the list

“Worldwide Christian persecution is still growing, in absolute terms. Today, over 215 million Christians are being persecuted”. It is the first information in the World Watch List 2018, the annual report of the international association Open Doors working in 25 countries (relating to the period from 1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017). It is the list of the 50 countries where Christians have been more persecuted, that is, where they are being ill-treated as “single or groups, or for their faith in Jesus”. Persecution includes cultural and social discrimination, family rejection, deprivation of work and income, physical abuse, torture, kidnapping, mutilation, destruction of property, imprisonment, and murder. The leaders of this hateful ranking are North Korea and Afghanistan. Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Eritrea, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Iran are in the top ten. The most violent persecution is taking place in Pakistan. The European countries in the list are Turkey (31^st) and Azerbaijan (45^th). Colombia and Mexico are the only ones in the American Continent. Intolerance escalation in Libya and India: owing to growing Hindu radicalism, over 24 thousand Indian Christians have been attacked. In the last few months, conditions of Christians have been getting worse in Nepal (new entry this year, in the 25^th place) and Azerbaijan, too.