WHEREAS, The United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom finds systematic persecution of religious
minorities, which includes many Christians, to be a global
problem that is not contained in one specific region of the
world; and
WHEREAS, The most rapidly growing areas of persecution are
the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia; and
WHEREAS, The top 10 countries where Christians face the most
severe persecution are North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea; and
WHEREAS, North Korea heads the World Watch List for the
l5th consecutive year and there are currently 50,000 to 70,000
Christians subjected to torture in North Korean labor camps; and
WHEREAS, Egyptians with a Muslim background who abandon the
Islamic faith often face beatings or house explosions; and
WHEREAS, Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011,
more than 7.5 million Christians have been displaced; and
WHEREAS, Syrian refugees are now finding themselves in other
countries where persecution persists; and
WHEREAS, In Algeria, where the law prohibits public assembly
to practice a faith other than Islam, Catholic churches and one
Protestant church may conduct services without government
interference; and
WHEREAS, In Algeria, where 99% of the population is Muslim,
those who are Christian converts face domestic violence and
house arrest for their faith; and
WHEREAS, In Oman, individuals who convert from Islam to
Christianity will lose custody of their children upon divorce;
and
WHEREAS, In Burma, Christians are subject to extrajudicial
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