Freedom, Persecution, and the Status of Christian Minorities

Abstract

This chapter explores issues of religious freedom and religious persecution faced by Christian minorities around the world. It describes the nature and scope of religious rights and analyzes various forms of religious persecution against prevailing international human rights instruments. It also provides case studies of recent persecution of Christian minorities in Afghanistan, Burma, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The chapter concludes with an argument that religious liberty for all peaceable forms of faith is a fundamental human right, and an essential part of every just human rights and constitutional regime.

Keywords: religious freedom; human rights; Christian persecution; church-state relations: Afghanistan, Burma, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam