The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) has released its updated 2020 Global Prayer Guide, listing the world’s most restricted nations and hostile areas where Christians are persecuted today.
Since 1997, VOM has tracked nations where Christians are persecuted and designated each nation as either hostile or restricted.
The “hostile” designation includes nations or large areas of nations where national governments attempt to provide protection for the Christian population, but Christians are routinely persecuted by family, community members, and/or extremist groups because of their witness.
Nations and areas listed as hostile include: Central African Republic, Colombia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza), Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines (Mindanao), Southern Mexico, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The “restricted” designation includes countries where government-sanctioned circumstances or anti-Christian laws lead to Christians being harassed, imprisoned, killed, or deprived of possessions or liberties because of their witness. This designation is also reserved for countries where government policy or practice prevents Christians from obtaining Bibles or other Christian literature. Additionally, Christians in these nations may experience persecution from family, community members, and/or extremist groups because of their witness.
Nations and areas listed as restricted include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, China, Comoros, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen.
The VOM 2020 Global Prayer Guide provides in-depth information on the current situation for Christians in those restricted and hostile countries to help Christians pray more specifically. It is available for free to any U.S. resident who requests a copy.
To download a copy of the VOM 2020 Global Prayer Guide, visit www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide.
