How Muslim Majority Countries Treat Their Christians

Every two hours, a Christian loses their life for following Jesus. These deaths and massacres rarely make headlines.

The numbers tell a harrowing story: One in seven Christians worldwide faces high levels of persecution, with the worst cases happening in nations where Islamic law controls everyday life.

The number of Christians facing high levels of persecution has surged dramatically in recent years, rising from 340 million in 2021 to 385 million in 2025. This increase of 45 million people in just four years demonstrates the alarming speed at which the threat is spreading.

This escalating danger is further evidenced by the growing number of countries where persecution is most severe. In 2015, 23 countries were classified as having “extreme” or “very high” levels of persecution; by 2025, that number has almost tripled to 65.

Here’s how Muslim-majority countries treat their Christian populations:

🇸🇴 SOMALIA
No churches exist. Converts from Islam face death. Al-Shabaab is committed to eradicating Christianity entirely.

🇾🇪 YEMEN
Christians can be imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Possessing a Bible in Houthi-controlled areas is dangerous. No legal protection for Christians exists.

🇸🇩 SUDAN
Over 100 churches have been damaged or destroyed. Christians have been abducted and killed. Islamist extremists operate with impunity.

🇸🇾 SYRIA
Now largely controlled by HTS — an Islamic extremist group with roots in Al-Qaeda. Christian population has collapsed from 1.5 million to 300,000.

🇳🇬 NIGERIA
More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militias operate freely. The government has largely failed to prosecute perpetrators.

🇵🇰 PAKISTAN
🔸 Christians are 1.8% of the population but absorb ~25% of blasphemy accusations — which carry a death sentence.

🔸 Mob lynchings of accused Christians are common. Entire Christian neighborhoods have been torched.

🔸 Christian girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married off. Courts often back the perpetrators.

🇱🇾 LIBYA
No functioning government to protect Christians. Foreign Christians are kidnapped and killed by Islamist groups. No legal protections exist.

🇮🇷 IRAN
🔸 96 Christians sentenced to 263 years in prison in 2024 alone — a sixfold increase year-over-year.

🔸 House churches are raided. Converts are charged with espionage and “enmity against God.”

🔸 Apostasy is punishable by death. Government’s stated goal: eradicate the Persian-speaking Church.

🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN
Christians face death if discovered. No public Christian communities exist. The Taliban is actively working to erase any Christian presence.

🇸🇦 SAUDI ARABIA
🔸 No churches allowed. No public Christian worship of any kind.

🔸 Apostasy and proselytizing are capital offenses under Sharia law.

🔸 Bibles are confiscated. Even private worship by expatriates can result in arrest and deportation.

🇲🇱 MALI / 🇧🇫 BURKINA FASO
Pastors executed, churches burned, villages massacred. Governments have lost control of large swaths of territory to jihadist groups including Boko Haram and JNIM.

🇮🇶 IRAQ
The Christian population has collapsed from 1.2 million in 2011 to just 120,000 in 2024 — driven by ISIS genocide. Christians are described as “close to extinction.”

🇩🇿 ALGERIA
All 47 Protestant evangelical churches in the country have been shut down. Converting Muslims is a criminal offense.

🇲🇷 MAURITANIA
Apostasy is punishable by death. No churches exist for Mauritanian citizens.

🇲🇦 MOROCCO
No public Christian worship permitted. Converting from Islam can result in prosecution. Foreign missionaries are expelled.

🇶🇦 QATAR
🔸 Apostasy: death penalty under Sharia law.

🔸 Proselytizing a Muslim: up to 5 years in prison.

🔸 Bringing Christian materials into the country: up to 2 years in prison.

🇹🇷 TURKEY
🔸 200+ Christian workers expelled since 2020, labeled “national security threats.”

🔸 No legal training of clergy permitted. The historic Halki Seminary remains closed.

🔸 Christian population has collapsed from 20% to 0.2% over the past century.