Experts around the world are pointing to rising instances in 2016 of violence and persecution against religious minorities, a recent report by Christian Today says. . In fact, one such expert explained the sheer intensity of the global persecution as being, “like nothing we’ve seen in the past two or three decades.”
Contributing to the discussion was Isaac Six, advocacy director of International Christian Concern (ICC), who was quoted as saying that, “religious freedom has deteriorated tremendously in certain areas and certain regions of the globe in 2016.” Six went on to explain that, ”From our vantage point, conditions in China, India, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, and even, to a much lesser degree, in the United States, have been heading in a very negative direction.”
Pointing specifically to the terrorist groups of ISIS and Boko Haram, Six speaks specifically to the shocking boldness of these groups’ publicly admitting they are targeting Christians and other religious minorities while also publishing media of their gruesome crimes.
“Suddenly anyone with an internet connection is able to witness persecution taking place in a horrific manner that many Christians probably thought ended 17 centuries ago with the Roman coliseums. Yet while violent Islamic extremism is driving much of the persecution that makes it into the headlines, it is the reaction of other nations in response to this extremism and to persecution that also carries serious implications for religious freedom.”