Across several Islamic countries, Christians are facing rising levels of persecution, with churches and communities under constant threat. A UK-based group, Help the Persecuted (HTP), has raised fresh concern over the scale of these incidents, reporting that Christian places of worship are being set on fire nearly every week in various regions where hostility towards Christians persists.
Tim Osmond, who represents HTP in the United Kingdom, shared insights into the group’s work and the challenges Christians are enduring. He explained the growing dangers in countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Libya, where believers often face harassment, imprisonment, or even death. “It’s a regular occurrence. I would say on a weekly basis, they are attacking churches, mainly burning them, burning everything that’s in them, and then knocking the crosses off the top,” he said.
HTP runs operations in 15 countries and depends heavily on local teams who understand the particular risks Christians face in each area. These teams assist with relocation, support, and case verification through churches and direct contacts. In countries like Lebanon, the organisation maintains safe houses and agricultural centres to provide basic sustenance for displaced individuals.
Osmond drew attention to conditions in Pakistan, where mob violence can be sparked by unverified accusations. “So last year, there were a couple of boys who were accused of desecrating a couple of pages in the Quran. Someone put the word out, and you probably had about 1,000 angry Muslims rampaging through neighbourhoods, destroying any Christian building, church and home. Many homes were burnt out, and they just stole everything that was in them,” he explained.
He also described the underground Christian community in Iran, where arrests lead to increasingly severe prison sentences. “Basically, it’s the fastest underground Christian church in the world, in Iran, but the prison sentences are going from three to five years to 10 to 15 years now, if they are caught having a house church,” he noted.
Conditions in Afghanistan are even more precarious, especially for those who convert from Islam. According to HTP, individuals caught practicing Christianity face near-certain death. Libya, too, remains unstable, with multiple armed groups creating a chaotic environment. “Libya is horrendous because there are so many different factions there, and people just get put in prison and just disappear in these countries,” Osmond added.
The persecution of Christians also extends to efforts to erase Christian heritage in some countries. In Turkey, the historic Hagia Sophia has undergone changes since its reversion from a museum back into a mosque. “Quite a lot of the Christian paintings up on the ceiling have just been covered up by banners or by great big circles with Arabic writing on them. I actually don’t know what they mean, but they’ve been trying to cover up everything,” Osmond said.
While the bulk of HTP’s work focuses on Islamic countries, the organisation also monitors related developments elsewhere. In Ukraine, for example, President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russian military action has destroyed over 600 religious sites since the invasion began. “Just as we are liberating priests and pastors from Russian captivity, just as we are doing everything to protect Ukrainian cities and villages and the lives of people in them, we are restoring the ability to believe — to believe that evil and destruction will not prevail,” Zelensky said.
