2000 in Central-Asian nations where Christians are persecuted, BosNewsLife learned Friday May 19.
Speaking from its headquarters in Ermelo, the Netherlands, Open Doors described the development as a "very important step" for the persecuted churches, but its Central-Asian coordinator warned that many Christians have still not been reached with Christian publications as they are banned in several countries.
"There is an ongoing demand for more material," the Open Doors coordinator said on condition of anonymity for security reasons, as Open Doors teams smuggles these books to different countries in cooperation with local congregations.
Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union there was briefly an "unknown freedom of religion" in Central Asian nations that were part of the empire, but Open Doors cautioned that these freedoms have been curtailed in recent years.
DIFFERENT PERSECUTION
"The kind of persecution can be different in each country, but in general Christians are threatened, fined and often physically mistreated when they come to Christ," the group claimed. "Some have been thrown into prison. Especially those who converted from the Muslim religion have difficulties," Open Doors stressed. The organization noted that concerts face government discrimination and pressure from family members to abandon Christianity and return to Islam.
"The government in most Central-Asian nations limits the church in its freedom of movement,” noted Open Doors, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. ”There are high demands regarding registration and most congregations are unable to meet these requirements, forcing them to operate illegally."
Open Doors said it feared the situation for Christians in Central-Asian nations will “become increasingly difficult." The advocacy group said it would try to distribute a further one million Christian publications, including Bibles, within the next six years “as there is a growing demand for them." (With Special Correspondent Eric Leijenaar, Chief Editor of the Dutch influential evangelical monthly newspaper Uitdaging (‘Challenge’) reporting from the Netherlands).
