Although Christian persecution is pervasive in Brunei, Laos, the Maldives, Malaysia,
Myanmar, and Indonesia, the enormous suffering endured by Christ followers in these countries is largely unreported.
Religious nationalism, the influence of communism, and the political landscapes of these nations all contribute to the persecution of Christians throughout the region. The plight of the persecuted in these nations, however, often goes unnoticed compared to other countries in the region, largely due to suppression of the press and China and North Korea’s ongoing difficulties continually dominating the news.
According to Reporters without Borders, a press freedom watchdog group, 209 journalists were killed, detained, or disappeared from 2014 to 2024 in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Myanmar.
State aversions to the freedom of the press within these nations make reporting on governmental abuses of religious liberty difficult, if not dangerous. Additionally, Christians are often stigmatized and viewed as second-class citizens by authorities, causing a deprioritization of their dire situation.
In Myanmar, where religious nationalism inspires aggressive Buddhism, Christians are regularly targeted for their faith. More than half of the nation’s Burmese ethnic majority adheres to Buddhism. A popular slogan in the country is “To be Burmese is to be Buddhist.”
This deep-seated belief that the Buddhist and the Burmese identities are intertwined has no doubt served to propagate ongoing civil strife within the nation — certainly between Buddhists and religious minorities like Christians. In 2021, Myanmar fell under a military dictatorship after its armed forces seized control of the country through a coup. Since the start of the conflict, an estimated 1 million Christians have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and thousands of their villages have been destroyed.
Chin state, one of the few regions in Myanmar with a Christian majority, has been under attack by Buddhist nationalists for years. As far back as the 1950s, Myanmar’s military has discriminated against Christians, according to the International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF). It destroyed crosses and prevented churches from being built or repaired.
Christians in Myanmar have also been killed for following Jesus. In 2022, Barnabas Aid reported that soldiers shot 35 people dead in a predominantly Christian area near Mo So village and burned the bodies.
The political landscapes of Brunei, the Maldives, Laos, and Malaysia lend themselves well to the persecution of Christians. Brunei, where Islam is the state religion, is ruled by an authoritarian monarchy system. Similarly, the Maldives and Malaysia are Islamic states wherein Islamic Sharia law influences the legal framework. Malaysia also incorporates civil law alongside Sharia, unlike the Maldives. In Laos, the Communist government works with Buddhist monks to persecute Christians.
Authorities in Laos regularly discriminate against Christians. According to a statement from the Lao Evangelical Church, in 2023, 79 Christian families from Khammouane province were forced from their homes and compelled to disavow their faith.
Moreover, growing Islamification across Brunei, the Maldives, Malaysia, and Indonesia has contributed to the growing mistreatment of Christians.
In Brunei, people can’t publicly celebrate Christmas, and Christians aren’t allowed to share their faith with Muslims, while in Indonesia, authorities imprison Christians, charging them with blasphemy for insulting Islam. Indonesian Christians Muhammad Kace and Rudi Simamora were detained for posting videos on YouTube that criticized Islam. Kace spent six years behind bars, and Simamora spent one year.
Forced Conversion to Islam
Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2023 report on religious freedom, the Maldives government forces people to be Muslim to become citizens. Additionally, the legislative code allows for “certain Sharia punishments, such as flogging, stoning, and amputation of hands.”
Criticizing Islam is illegal in the Maldives, as is converting from Islam to another religion. Non-governmental organizations and journalists in the nation reportedly “self-censor” their speech on Islam for fear of being labeled “anti-Islamic.”
Although Christian persecution continues to go undetected in many nations throughout Southeast Asia, the gospel continues to spread throughout the region and all of Asia.
In early 2024, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity reported that Asia has one of the fastest-growing Christian populations, with more than 415 million Christians living there. Since 2020, Christianity has grown in Asia at a rate of 2.11% — second only to Africa, where the growth rate of the faith has been 2.64%. This statistic is an encouraging reminder that persecution doesn’t stop the church’s growth. It likely fuels it. — International Christian Concern
