When we hear about religious bigotry in America, it’s generally “Islamophobia,” and more often than not, it’s only for the purpose of guilt-tripping someone concerned about the problem of Islamic extremism.
A new study published by the Pew Research Center has proven that global hostility to religion is on the rise, and while anti-Islam sentiments are on the rise, that’s second to the never-discussed rise in anti-Christian bigotry. (RELATED: Shocking Report: Christianity Most Persecuted Religion in the World).
The Pew study assessed 198 countries using data from 2016, and found an overall increase from their prior study, analyzing data from 2015.
According to Faith Wire: “More than a quarter (28%) of countries had ‘high’ or ‘very high’ levels of government restrictions on religion in 2016, an increase from 25% the year before. This is the largest share of countries in these categories since 2013,” the report noted. Pew noted that the two main faiths coming under the fiercest oppression were Christianity and Islam, which are the two largest religions in the world. The report listed China, Egypt, Russia, India, Indonesia, and Turkey as the countries who place the most severe restrictions on religious expression.”
Interestingly, only a single country on the list of those with the most severe religious restrictions is a majority Christian country (Russia). Egypt and Turkey are majority Muslim countries, while Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country. You can take a wild guess as to what religions their laws restrict (Christianity and Judaism).
India has a Hindu majority, and it’s Hindu/Muslim conflicts that got them added to Pew’s list. The only country on the list of government-sanctioned anti-Muslim policies in China, which has the equivalent of “re-education camps” for their Muslim citizens. At them, Muslims are detained, and there are reports that prisoners are required to eat pork and drink alcohol, renounce their Islamic beliefs, and embrace the Communist Party.
According to Pew, China had the highest levels of government restrictions on religion, while India had the highest levels of social hostilities involving religion.
Anti-Christian bigotry has long been the last acceptable form of bigotry, so it’s no surprise it’s spreading the fastest.
