The US Department of State has released a major report detailing the persecution of Christians around the world. The report can be found on the Worldwide Web at http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/970722_relig_rpt_christian.html. The State Department also called on the INS to revise its rules for guaranteeing asylum in the US to persons facing religious persecution.
The report comes as many Christian groups have complained that the INS has been imposing severe tests on asylum applicants including requiring applicants to discuss complex theological matters. These groups also have complained that many INS judges have generally been unwilling to admit that Christians face persecution at all. The INS strongly repudiated such criticism.
Among the abuses reported by the State Department were forced conversions to other religions, torture, and suppression of religious expression. Among the 78 countries reviewed in the report, countries as diverse as China, Russia, Sudan, Israel and Belgium were criticized.
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