January 2023 Persecution Magazine

HOTSPOTS
O n t h e h o r i z o n
EMBOLDENED TO TERRORIZE
We recently sat down with Darius*, who is involved
with ICC’s international relief efforts and projects
and asked him to assess trouble spots as we look
ahead to 2023. Where are Christians in peril? Where can
they find hope? And what is ICC doing to relieve the suffering
of those who put their faith in Jesus?
What were some of the overarching contributors to
global persecution in 2022?
In 2022, two significant events affected persecution: the
Ukraine War and the sour global economy. Radically empowered
dictators, regimes, and terrorist groups took advantage
of the situation. With the world’s attention distracted
by this new war and the financial crisis, villainous
leaders saw an opportunity to accelerate their actions
and pursue their agenda—to the detriment of Christians.
The U.S. government doesn’t have a lot of leverage right
now, displaying the limited impact a leading world power
can have. As a result, the regimes and the groups do
more of what they want to do without the world’s big
reaction to them.
These situations will worsen for Christians without a
doubt. To some, the U.S. influence has diminished,
though it continues to pursue diplomatic efforts, freeze
accounts, support embargoes, and more. North Korea is
a good example, emboldened to expand its nuclear program.
You can imagine what’s happening for Christians
and others living there.
The same thing applies to radical groups. So, you see terrorists
like Boko Haram, the Allied Democratic Forces, and
Fulani militants in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Democratic
Republic of Congo getting a free ride to spread terror.
Also, socioeconomic factors significantly contribute to
Christian persecution. With increased poverty, desperate
people take desperate measures. If the only way to get
food is to attack a Christian village and take what they
have, they just don’t care.
The way we struggle now—a deficiency of resources, currency,
and inflation—creates more desperation. Minority
groups and Christians in many areas are being taken advantage
of.
* Name changed for security reasons
12 Persecution | JANUARY 2023
PERSECUTION.ORG 13