(CP) In an alarming trend, Christians experienced harassment in 160 countries in 2021, in response to a comprehensive study of 190 countries published by the Pew Research Center, which revealed that government restrictions on religion also reached an all-time high.
The study, which is a component of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, showed that each government actions and social hostilities contributed to the harassment of non secular groups. Government restrictions on religion reached an all-time high, with 183 countries imposing various types of limitations, the very best number because the study began in 2007.
Christians, as the most important religious group globally, faced harassment in various forms, from derogatory statements to physical violence.
The study found that Christians were harassed by governments in 160 countries, a rise from 155 within the previous yr. This harassment ranged from subtle types of discrimination to overt acts of violence and oppression.
Muslims faced harassment in 141 countries, down from 145 in 2020.
Jews were harassed by governments and social groups or individuals in 91 countries in 2021, down from 94 countries in 2020, the third highest total of any religious group, the study said, noting that Jews make up just 0.2% of the world’s population.
In terms of physical harassment, which included property damage, assaults on people, detentions, displacements and killings, the study reported incidents in 137 countries, with governments being the first perpetrators in 100 of those.
Property damage was probably the most common style of physical harassment, occurring in 105 countries. Europe had the very best share of nations reporting property damage related to religion, with incidents similar to the closure of 21 mosques in France and attacks on Catholic and Jewish sites in Poland.
Physical assaults on individuals attributable to their religious beliefs were reported in 91 countries. In the Middle East and North Africa, assaults were particularly prevalent, with 75% of nations within the region reporting such incidents, including a missile attack on a Sunni-majority mosque in Yemen.
Detentions related to spiritual beliefs were reported in 77 countries, with the Middle East-North Africa region having the very best share of nations reporting such incidents. In Sri Lanka, 311 individuals remained imprisoned without formal charges for alleged connections to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Government restrictions on religion — laws, policies and actions by state officials that limit religious beliefs and practices — reached a latest peak globally, in response to the evaluation.
The global median level of presidency restrictions on religion increased to three.0 in 2021, up from 2.8 in 2020, indicating a tightening of control over religious practices. However, the worldwide median level of social hostilities involving religion decreased barely, from 1.8 in 2020 to 1.6 in 2021.
In 2021, 55 countries, accounting for 28% of the whole, experienced “high” or “very high” levels of presidency restrictions. This was a slight decrease from the 57 countries, or 29%, that reached this level in 2020, 2019 and 2012. Despite this slight decrease, the general median index rating for all countries increased attributable to a greater number of nations showing a rise in index scores in comparison with those showing a decrease, the study said.
The study also highlighted the twin nature of presidency actions regarding religion. While imposing restrictions and fascinating in harassment, governments in 161 countries provided advantages to spiritual organizations, similar to funding for religious education and maintenance of non secular buildings. This paradoxical situation raises questions on the motivations behind government policies toward religious groups.
