On January 10, Woldu found a note on his van warning him [...]]]> The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Hagos Woldu [name changed for security reasons], an expatriate Christian leader in Saudi Arabia, fled from the city of Riyadh on January 28 following threats he received from radical Muslims.

On January 10, Woldu found a note on his van warning him to leave Saudi Arabia or face the consequences. “They [the Islamic extremists] were not happy when I told them that Mohammed is not a prophet,” said Woldu in an interview he gave to ICC.

“People who covered their faces started to follow me. They blocked my van on three different occasions,” said Woldu. The pressures forced him to quit his job on January 15.

Woldu has been living in Saudi Arabia for the past 24 years and this is not the first time that he has been persecuted for his faith in Jesus Christ. In 2005, he and four other expatriates were detained by the Mutaween (Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice), an arm of the government that enforces religious purity. At the time, Woldu and the other four Christians were imprisoned due to their activities in an underground church group in the country. They were released one month later following pressure by Western diplomats.

“I have not stopped telling the truth by preaching the gospel. I preach the gospel to Muslims,” said Woldu in explaining why the extremists still want to force him to leave Saudi Arabia.

Woldu is not currently working, and he is unable to leave Saudi Arabia because he has not yet been able to secure a visa to a third country. It is also unsafe for Woldu to return to his own country due to the severe persecution Christians are facing there.

He told ICC that his biggest worry at this time is the safety of his wife and eight children, who are currently living in Cairo, Egypt. His family moved from Saudi Arabia to Egypt in 2007, but the UNHCR failed to give them refugee status. As the bread winner for the family, he is concerned about their current well-being.

“I don’t care if I am slaughtered for the sake of the Gospel, but what I am concerned about is my wife and eight children. Please contact UNHCR and ask them to give my family refugee status,” said Woldu in expressing his worries about family.

In a message to Christians, Woldu said, “Please contact embassies in Saudi Arabia and ask them to help me get out of the country, and, as a first priority, please help my family.”

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, said, “We ask the officials of Saudi Arabia to protect the rights of Christians in the country to worship freely. It is hypocritical that Saudi Arabia promotes interfaith dialogue while failing to guarantee freedom of religion at home.”

Please pray for Woldu and his family at this difficult time in their lives.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.

According to Open Doors’ 2008 World Watch List released today, North Korea is ranked No. 1 for the seventh year in a row. Christians are [...]]]> SANTA ANA, Calif., /Christian Newswire/ — The oppressive, isolated country of North Korea headed by dictator Kim Jong Il retains its grip as the worst persecutor of Christians in the world.

According to Open Doors’ 2008 World Watch List released today, North Korea is ranked No. 1 for the seventh year in a row. Christians are persecuted constantly under the communist government, which denies human rights to its citizens.

The Wahhabi kingdom of Saudi Arabia is No. 2 and Iran No. 3. Both countries are ruled by Shariah law.

Afghanistan, Somalia and the Maldives take the fourth, fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Afghanistan moved up three spots on the list this year as a result of increased pressure from the Taliban movement during 2008. Yemen is No. 7, Laos No. 8, Eritrea No. 9 and Uzbekistan No. 10.

Somalia and Eritrea are new countries to the top 10 list. In Somalia, the number of incidents against Christians increased dramatically in 2008, explaining its rise to No. 5 from No. 12 in 2007. For Eritrea, there was no major change in the lack of religious freedom for Christians. Around 3,000 Christians are being held in Eritrean prisons.

China and Bhutan dropped out of the top 10 with China now No. 12 and Bhutan No. 11. Last year China was No. 10 and Bhutan No. 5.

Islam is the majority religion in seven of the top 10 countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen and Uzbekistan. Two countries have communist governments: North Korea and Laos. Eritrea is the only dictatorial country in the 10 highest countries on the list.

The World Watch List is compiled from a specially- designed questionnaire of 50 questions covering various aspects of religious freedom. A point value is assigned depending on how each question is answered. The total number of points per country determines its position on the World Watch List of countries that are the worst persecutors of Christians.

“It is certainly not a shock that North Korea is No. 1 on the list of countries where Christians face the worst persecution,” says Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA. “There is no other country in the world where Christians are persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner.

“I encourage you to join our on-going prayer campaign for North Korea and to plug in to the many opportunities Open Doors offers to advocate for the oppressed believers there during North Korea Freedom Week April 25-May 2.”

The status of religious freedom for Christians deteriorated in 2008 in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan (No. 13), Iraq (No. 16), Mauritania (No. 18), Algeria (No. 19), India (No. 22), Northern Nigeria (26), Indonesia (No. 41), Bangladesh (No. 43) and Kazakhstan (No. 50 and new on the top 50 list).

Persecution continues unabated in Saudi Arabia. Five months after the daughter of a member of Saudi Arabia’s religious police was killed for writing online about her faith in Christ, Saudi authorities reportedly arrested a 28-year-old Christian man for describing his conversion and criticizing the kingdom’s judiciary on his Website, according to Compass Direct News. Saudi police arrested Hamoud Bin Saleh on Jan. 13 “because of his opinions and his testimony that he had converted from Islam to Christianity,” according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.

In Iran, a major crackdown on house churches occurred and a large number of Christians were arrested, marking 2008 as one of the toughest years regarding Christian persecution since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In Afghanistan, a Western Christian aid worker was killed because, according to the Taliban, she was spreading Christianity in Afghanistan which is prohibited by law in the country. In Somalia, Open Doors received reports of at least 10 Christians killed for their faith in 2008 and several others kidnapped and raped. Pressure on the Christian minority in Pakistan continued unabated.

Iraq’s Christian minority faced a year full of violence in 2008. Churches were attacked or damaged by bombs, Christians received death threats and several Christians were murdered, abused and/or kidnapped.

For years India has ranked No. 30 on Open Doors’ persecution index. This year it moved to No. 22 primarily because in the third quarter of 2008 there was the worst outbreak of religious violence on record for Christians in India, especially in the state of Orissa. The number of incidents regarding arrests, physical harassment, abductions and church attacks remained high all over India.

“The escalation of violence against Christians in India in 2008 is very troubling,” says Moeller. “Please pray for believers there.”

In a major positive development, fewer believers were harassed in Vietnam this year. As a result it fell to No. 23. Last year it was ranked No. 17 and in 2006 it was No. 8. Open Doors recorded fewer reports of persecution of Christians in Colombia this year. As a result, this long-time World Watch List country fell off the list.

An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world’s most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

For a complete World Watch List of the top 50 persecutors and additional information go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.