"Islam is Somalia's state religion and all Christians come from a Muslim background," they explained, meaning that for converts to Christianity, if their conversion is discovered, it can mean persecution and even a "rushed beheading."
"If a Christian is discovered in Somalia, they are unlikely to live to see another day," Lisa Pearce stated. There are only hundreds of Christians in the country with a population of over 11 million.
At least 12 Christian converts were killed in Somalia in 2016, the report said. The country is ruled by a "tribal system" and is "basically lawless," which means that entities like the militant group al-Shabaab can "persecute Christians with impunity."
Afghanistan is number three on the list, another tribal country where being a Christian is illegal. The Islamic republic of Pakistan is fourth, where more Christians were recorded as killed for their faith in 2016 than any other country. There are almost 4 million Christians there amidst the population of over 196 million.
An estimated 700 Christian women and girls were abducted in 2016, many of them raped and forced to marry Muslim men. The country's strict blasphemy laws – which carry a death sentence – enable mob violence against Christians and accusations of blasphemy committed with impunity.
Persecution of Christians has had a disturbing increase in Asia, Open Doors noted, including in the world's second-most populated country of India where there are 15 attacks against Christians every week, and probably more than that number since some attacks are not reported by fearful victims.
There were "at least ten" abductions of Christians there in 2016, ten rapes of Christian women, and over 800 physical attacks on Christians, the report said. Laos, Bangladesh, and Vietnam have also seen greater persecution of Christians by religious nationalists.
In the Middle East, Christians have been "caught in the crossfire" of wars in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. "The Saudi-backed civil war in Yemen has reduced the country to a waste land, with many Christians caught in the crossfire, such as the 16 people killed in an attack on a Christian care home for the elderly and disabled," the report said.
Other problems of persecution include Islamic extremism in sub-Saharan Africa, and attempts to destroy the homes of Christians who have been driven away by violence, in the hopes that they permanently resettle elsewhere.
Matt Hadro was the political editor at Catholic News Agency through October 2021. He previously worked as CNA senior D.C. correspondent and as a press secretary for U.S. Congressman Chris Smith.