Attacks against Christians worldwide saw a troubling rise in 2024, with the Christmas season in particular marred by incidents in Germany, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, and Syria. The 2025 World Watch List (WWL) by Open Doors highlights the increasing persecution of Christians worldwide, particularly in conflict-ridden regions. Globally, over 380 million Christians face high levels of persecution or discrimination. The violence index is particularly severe in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia, with Nigeria and Pakistan topping the list for violence.
Germany experienced a tragic incident on December 20 of last year at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, where a car was driven into a crowded area, killing five and injuring more than 200 others. The suspect, a Saudi doctor residing in Germany since 2006, had displayed threatening behavior in the past but did not align with the typical profile of extremist attackers. While attacks on Christians are not common in Germany, this incident underscores a broader trend of increasing hostility toward Christians across Europe, particularly since the German judge ruled that the attack did not constitute a terrorist attack. This decision has deepened concerns about the reluctance to recognize and address violence specifically targeting Christians in an increasingly hostile social environment.
According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC), violence and discrimination against Christians have risen significantly. In 2023, 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes were reported across 35 European countries, including 232 personal attacks, with Germany seeing a doubling of such incidents. The report highlights the growing marginalization of Christians in public life, with many self-censoring their beliefs due to hostility in workplaces and universities. Legal restrictions on religious freedom, such as fines for praying silently near abortion clinics, further exemplify the challenges Christians face. OIDAC attributes this trend to a radical secularist agenda that conflicts with Christian ethics, threatening religious freedom and pluralism in Europe.
Myanmar ranks as the 13th most dangerous country for Christians, according to Open Doors, with a persecution score of 81. The country’s Christian minority, approximately 4.8 to 5 million people, has faced escalating violence and persecution since the 2021 military coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing. Now entering its fifth year, the conflict has forced many Christians to flee their homes, seeking refuge in churches, displacement camps, or the jungle, where they endure hunger and hardship. The enforcement of military conscription has further pressured young Christians, leading many to flee the country entirely, leaving the community scattered and vulnerable.
The violence continues unabated. In Shan State, on December 25, the Burma Army launched 120mm mortar shells into Kho village, killing two children and seriously injuring a woman. Just two days later, on December 27, a military jet dropped two 500-pound bombs on Pi King Village in Phekhon Township, wounding three civilians and destroying multiple homes. These incidents underscore the ongoing crisis facing Myanmar’s Christian minority, who remain targets amid the worsening conflict.
Pakistan, ranked 8th on the Open Doors World Watch List, is one of the most dangerous countries for Christians, with 54,780 reported cases of Christians being beaten, threatened, or abused, including 10,000 in the past year. Out of a population of 245.2 million, Pakistan’s 4.5 million Christians face severe persecution, particularly under the country’s notorious blasphemy laws. These laws are often weaponized against minorities, leaving Christians vulnerable to violence, as seen in June 2024, when an elderly man was killed by a mob following a false accusation of desecrating the Quran. Christian girls increasingly face abuse, and widespread discrimination relegates Christians to the most degrading jobs, further marginalizing the community.
On December 25, in Lahore’s Maryam Colony, over a dozen gunmen opened fire on Christians gathered outside the home of Pastor Shahzad Siddique, a Pentecostal preacher from Praise TV. The attack left three Christians shot and wounded, underscoring the escalating dangers faced by Pakistan’s Christian community.
Nigeria, ranked 7th on the Open Doors World Watch List, is the deadliest country for Christians, with more believers killed for their faith here than anywhere else in the world. In 2024 alone, 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians killed globally were in Nigeria. Violence fueled by radical Islamic extremists, including Boko Haram and Fulani militants, is escalating, particularly in the northern and central regions. These groups destroy homes and churches, displace Christian communities, and abduct or assault women, leaving millions of Christians forced into displacement camps.
While southern Nigeria is home to some of the world’s largest church auditoriums, the north and central regions are plagued by violence and persecution. With a persecution score of 88, Nigeria remains a dangerous and deeply challenging environment for its 106.6 million Christian population. On Christmas Day, Boko Haram terrorists attacked Kwapre village in Adamawa State, killing two Christians, burning houses, and looting shops. Many others were injured during the assault.
India, ranked 11th on the Open Doors World Watch List, remains a difficult and often hostile environment for its 73.2 million Christians within a population of 1.4 billion. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the rise of Hindu nationalism, which asserts that all Indians should be Hindu, has fueled widespread violence and discrimination against Christians. Twelve states now enforce anti-conversion laws, frequently weaponized to harass Christians and suppress their ability to share their faith, with Uttar Pradesh recently introducing life imprisonment as a potential penalty.
Although last year’s elections forced the ruling BJP to form a coalition with pro-religious freedom parties, violence against Christians continues unabated across many states. During the Christmas season, Hindu nationalist groups disrupted services and attacked Christians in states including Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Kerala.
In Syria, ranked 18th on the Open Doors World Watch List, Christians continue to face severe persecution. During the World Watch List reporting period, 3,944 cases of sexual assault, harassment, or forced marriages were recorded, with 500 incidents occurring in Syria alone. Ongoing conflict, crime, and corruption have driven Christian emigration, reducing the Christian population to just 579,000 out of 24.3 million. The fall of the Assad regime to rebel forces has intensified threats to Christians, particularly in the church’s ancient heartland. Islamic extremist rebel groups have outlawed Christianity, destroyed churches, and targeted Christian and Yazidi communities in previously safe Kurdish-controlled areas, even as these regions allowed religious freedom and Christian conversion.
The Christmas season of 2024 brought additional targeted attacks against Christians. In Al-Suqaylabiyah, a predominantly Christian town in Syria, Islamist extremists burned down a Christmas tree, sparking widespread protests among the Christian community and deepening fears for the future of religious minorities under the new regime. Just days earlier, on December 18, an unidentified gunman attacked the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Hama, firing shots at its walls and attempting to remove its cross. These incidents highlight the relentless challenges faced by Christians in a deeply unstable and hostile region.
As the 21st century progresses, Christianity faces unprecedented challenges. Europe continues to drift away from its Christian roots, embracing secularization and diminishing the influence of faith in public life. Meanwhile, Christian communities worldwide endure existential threats, from ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh to systemic persecution in Myanmar, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Syria, and the Middle East. Despite these crises, previous U.S. administrations, including the Biden administration, have often turned a blind eye, failing to take decisive action to protect vulnerable Christian populations. Policies such as removing Nigeria from the religious freedom watchlist and using softened language to describe the forced expulsions in Nagorno-Karabakh have undermined U.S. credibility on human rights and emboldened aggressors.
It is hoped that President Trump will reverse this trend and redefine U.S. foreign policy by making the defense of persecuted Christians a central pillar of his administration. By addressing the failures of the past and holding perpetrators accountable, his administration can demonstrate that America will no longer tolerate violence and discrimination against Christians. This is not only a moral obligation but also a strategic necessity to uphold global human rights and restore U.S. leadership on the world stage. With decisive action, Trump has the chance to leave a lasting legacy as a defender of religious freedom and a protector of Christianity in its time of greatest need.