Religious liberty is necessary for a good and free people, but it is currently under siege around the world. There are more than a few contenders for the dishonorable crown of the nation most hostile to freedom of conscience. China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Pakistan, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Syria, Myanmar (Burma), Iraq, Tajikistan, Iran, and Nigeria are in the running. Each oppresses people of faith in one or more ways. Some of the contenders suppress belief in anything sacred other than the current rulers. Several systems kill or tolerate the killing of believers of various minority faiths.
The vast majority of persecutors are either Muslim-majority states or authoritarian regimes. Some of America’s close allies, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, rank among the worst offenders as they have become increasingly repressive despite adopting welcome social reforms. So do important U.S. rivals, most notably the People’s Republic of China, which has been regressing back toward totalitarianism under President Xi Jinping.
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