For over a quarter of a century, the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFIRLC) has been capturing incidents of persecution against Christians, advocating for religious freedom and the rights of religious minorities. The Commission releases an annual report that details incidents by state and documents violence and discrimination against Christians across India. Last month they issued 2024 findings …

Reuters reported in late February that Judith Suminwa, the prime minister of the DRC, told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that 7,000 people have died in her country in the first two months of 2025 and approximately 3,000 of the deaths occurred in Goma. Further, about 450,000 people have no shelter because militants destroyed 90 displacement camps in the …

I grew up in Tamu town, an Indo-Burma border town in Sagaing Region or province located in the Northwest part of Burma (Myanmar.) My parents practiced spirit worship but they converted to Christianity when I was a young child. Because we lived in a predominately Buddhist area, I attended a Buddhist school. When I was 18, I responded to a …

November 14, 2024 Thank you for joining 21Wilberforce as we work together for Christians and other religious minorities who are suffering for their beliefs. This has been a transition year for our team and we are grateful that you stood with the persecuted and 21Wilberforce with fervent prayers and financial support. We are committed to equipping the church to support …

September 30, 2024 Dallas Baptist University’s Institute for Global Engagement will host a power-packed conference, “Praying for all the Persecuted,” in late October focused on inspiring the church to pray and advocate for anyone facing persecution for their faith. Knox Thames, an international human rights lawyer, advocate, and author who has dedicated his career to promoting human rights, defending religious …

July 30, 2024 “Religious freedom is a defining value of Baptists and advancing it globally is a central missional commitment of the BWA,” BWA General Secretary and CEO Elijah Brown said recently. “At a time when 30% of all BWA Baptists face the reality of war, persecution, and extreme hunger, the need is as great as ever.” This is the backdrop for the plenary …

April 22, 2024 Ten years ago, the terrorist group Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from Chibok Secondary School. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped while they were being ferried into the Sambisa forest. Two of the girls later escaped and were found by a vigilante group before being handed over to the military. Not too long after, 102 girls were freed …

April 2, 2024 Free Burma Rangers ask that we pray that Burma will be a place where everyone can live freely with dignity together. As you pray for Burma, please pray also for neighboring countries and your own nations, for ways they can help the people of Burma more. A PRAYER FOR BURMA Heavenly Father, you are awesome and mighty. …

January 21, 2024 In its annual list detailing countries of concern when it comes to persecution against Christians, the organization Open Doors International highlighted outbreaks of violence against sub-Saharan African Christians, where 16.2 million were forced out of their homes at the end of 2022. The World Watch report, published at the beginning of every year, tracks discrimination and violence against …

November 21, 2023 Thank you for standing in the gap with 21Wilberforce for those persecuted for their faith around the world.  With prayer and financial support from friends like you, in 2023 the team at 21Wilberforce engaged faith communities on the ground, government leaders and partners to advance freedom of religion or belief. Examples include: Engaged in religious freedom advocacy …

October 30, 2023       In the heart of the dry and dusty West Texas oil fields rests the city of Midland. For most outsiders, Midland is best known as the childhood home of former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. At the turn of the millennium, however, the quiet, industrious town halfway between Fort …

September 26, 2023 The people of Burma have faced a brutal campaign by the military junta that has taken thousands of lives, forced millions to flee, and destroyed many church buildings in their campaign to control and suppress the people’s democratic rights and religious freedoms in the country. Attacks by the Burmese military on villages and towns have forced 1.3 …

August 29, 2023 Randel Everett recently announced to the 21Wilberforce staff and Board that he will retire as President of 21Wilberforce at the end of this year. Here are his reflections on stepping away from the organization he and his wife, Sheila, founded nine years ago. Working with 21 Wilberforce in defense of those experiencing religious persecution has been a …

August 8, 2023 21Wilberforce announced the launch of the Global Freedom Network (GFN) pilot project in Africa during the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) meeting in Norway last month. 21Wilberforce’s President Randel Everett and Executive Director John Gongwer gave an overview of the vision, objectives and intended outcomes for the network including plans for eventual expansion to other regions of the …

June 22, 2023 21Wilberforce is pleased to announce that Pastor Bob Roberts, Jr. is the recipient of the 2023 Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award.  We will honor this renowned bridge builder who has dedicated his life to promoting and advancing religious freedom, peacemaking and civic engagement at a dinner on Thursday, October 5th, in the Great Hall at Dallas …

May 31, 2023 In the State of Manipur India, ethnic tensions between the majority Meitei people and the minority ethnic Kuki/Zomi/Mizo people in Manipur spilled out into violence and targeting of minority religious communities. It is reported by local partners that Meitei mobs killed 50 people, injured hundreds, burnt or vandalized 130 churches, and have caused 1000s to be displaced …

May 3, 2023 21Wilberforce invites churches, faith networks, academic institutions and interested individuals to join our Global Impact Partners program. We offers resources to help you equip and empower your community to stand with those persecuted for their faith around the globe. Four pillars of the program are: AWARENESSof contemporary persecution against individuals, families and people groups suffering for their …

April 18, 2023 21Wilberforce is pleased to announce the appointments of  Knox Thames and Curtis L. Brown, Treasurer, to the Board of Directors. With these changes, the 21Wilberforce board will be comprised of  14 Directors. Other Board members include James Carr, Ross Chandler, J. Nixon Daniel III (Chairman), Darrell Dunton, Simon “Trey” Hendershot III, Amanda Howard (Board Secretary), Suzii Paynter March, …

March 5, 2023 IRF Summit 2023: 21Wilberforce Engagements 21Wilberforce was an organizational partner for the third annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit held in Washington, DC from January 30th to February 1st. A coalition of organizations and individuals working for the cause of religious freedom around the world attended the event. Work session content was organized within four tracks: defending, documenting, developing, and …

January 31, 2023 Executive Director John Gongwer’s First-Hand Report on Nicaragua Nicaragua has been labeled a Country of Particular Concern by U.S. State Department. From January 4-10, 21Wilberforce’s Executive Director John Gongwer traveled with BWA President Tomas Mackey (Argentina) and BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown to Nicaragua to attend the annual national Baptist Convention—Convención Bautista de Nicaragua (CBN). What follows …

October 31, 2022 The World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission officially launched the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in 1996 and designated the first Sunday in November for the church calendar (subsequently the second Sunday was added). Many USA organizations (including the National Association of Evangelicals and the Institute on Religion and Democracy), also began a large promotion, …

October 11, 2022 21Wilberforce Founder and President, Dr. Randel Everett, announced that the 2022 honoree is Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid. The 2022 laureate will be recognized at a dinner to be held in Dallas on October 17, 2022. Register to attend here.“Bob Fu is courageous and relentless in his support of those persecuted for their faith. He …

July 26, 2022 A lot can happen in eight years. Children learn to walk and talk, tie shoes, and read. Young people come of age, fall in love, get married. Old people turn gray, grow a little wiser, move a little slower. Eight years is enough time to master a skill, build a career, fulfill a dream. On the other …

July 8, 2022 Last month the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) went into effect in the United States. The Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region urged US importers not to dump goods linked to the Uyghur Region into other markets and to not re-export tainted goods. Hundreds of companies have been publicly identified as having links to Uyghur forced labor. Numerous reports have …

June 31, 2022 Deborah Yakubu was a Christian student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto state, Nigeria. She was beaten, stoned and her body burned May 12 by students who accused her of making blasphemous comments against the Prophet Mohammed in an online classroom group. Yakubu had allegedly cautioned her Muslim counterparts to stop making religious posts …

April 26, 2022 On top of the horrific humanitarian crisis caused by the brutality and devastation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in areas occupied by the Russians and their supporters, non-Russian Orthodox Christians suffer “…slander, harassment, deportations, raids on worship services, robberies, forced closures of church-based orphanages, rehabilitation centers, charities, and seminaries, interrogations utilizing psychological and physical torture, and …

March 7, 2022 Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is deplorable. Many factors contribute to this war, as to any war, including economic or territorial gain, nationalism, revenge, civil discord and religion, to name a few. But another factor, one that is usually overlooked, is a government’s restrictions on religious freedom. And in the current conflict, the quest of the Ukrainian Orthodox …

February 25, 2022 Mariam Ibraheem was born in a refugee camp in Sudan. Her Muslim father died when she was six, and her mother raised her in the Christian faith. After a traumatic childhood, Mariam became a successful businessperson, married the man she loved, and had a beautiful baby boy. But one day in 2013, her world was shattered when …

January 26, 2022 For the first time ever, Afghanistan is the most dangerous place on the planet to be a Christian, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List, which was released today. The World Watch List is a definitive, comprehensive research-based report that ranks the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Afghanistan has supplanted North Korea, which now ranks …

November 23, 2021 In the 19th century, British Parliamentarian William Wilberforce identified the slave trade as the single greatest violation of human rights. Over several years he led a successful abolition movement through collaborative partnerships, grassroots empowerment, and policy campaigns. 21Wilberforce is employing this powerful model to train and empower others, facilitate results-based solutions, and work with like-minded partners to …

October 28, 2201 In this hyperpartisan era of American politics, international religious freedom has consistently been one aspect of American public policy that still enjoys strong bipartisan support and cooperation. Hussain has enormous credibility across a broad range of faith groups, built on years of leadership in efforts for religious freedom. His nomination has brought enthusiastic praise from groups ranging …

October 5, 2021 This November, millions of Christians worldwide will gather together for one cause: to unite the global Church for International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted 2021. On November 7,  faith communities and churches around the world will pray for those persecuted for their faith. Prepare for IDOP 2021 with a free IDOP Resource Kit. Included are message themes, a bulletin …

August 23, 2021 The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called on the United States government to include religious minority communities facing severe risk in evacuations to escape persecution from the Taliban. “While the United States government is working around the clock to evacuate American citizens and Afghans with U.S. affiliations, Afghan religious minorities face extreme risk from …

July 7, 2021 In China, June is a somber month for those who remember the mass pro-democracy protests across the country and the military’s bloody crackdown in 1989. Remembrance itself is an act of defiance against the suppression and manipulation of history by the Chinese authorities. Each year, events are held worldwide to pay tributes to the victims and their …

June 8, 2021 The U.S. State Department has produced the International Religious Freedom Report every year for 23 years. The report offers a comprehensive review of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories. The report covers government policies violating religious belief sand practices of groups, religious denominations, and individuals, and U.S. policies to promote religious freedom …

April 19, 2021 ‘I’m Chibok girl Dad. Bring Back Our Girls Now’ read the white letters on the man’s red T-shirt. The same morning – April 15, seven years ago – he woke to hear his daughter had been abducted from her school dormitory at night. He’s not seen her since and has no idea if she is alive or …

April 8, 2021 On April 6th nearly 100 million people in India voted to elect 475 assembly seats across four states and one Union territory: Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Counting of assembly elections will take place May 2nd. The campaigns leading up to the election have been contentious with a focus on faith and religion issues, …

February 16, 2021 Yazidis have a long history of religious persecution. The most recent horrors happened in August of 2014 when the Islamic State (ISIS) began an organized campaign against them that involved ethnic cleansing in the form of mass executions, enslavement, forced conversions and recruitment of child soldiers, and sexual violence. These crimes resulted in the massacre of thousands …

January 21, 2021 The United States of America has led the world in holding the perpetrators of the most heinous human rights abuses accountable. From the Nuremberg Trials, to the creation of the Genocide Convention in 1948, to the declaration of ISIS’s recent genocide against the Yazidis, Christians, and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, Americans have given voice …

November 24, 2020 2020 is a year we will not soon, if ever, forget. Each of us has felt the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, but none more than the world’s religious minorities. Pew Research reports that 80 percent of the global population lives in nations that restrict religious freedom. Those restrictions have been amplified and persecution intensified during the …

October 27, 2020 Due to COVID-19, many of us have had to stay away from church, unable to gather normally as the body of Christ as a dangerous virus threatened the lives of many. This has been strange for us, and yet, it is too often the daily life for fellow Christians around the world. Even after the danger of …

October 7, 2020 Internet freedom is the next frontier of human rights. Free expression on the internet is under assault. Although technology and information have spread across the globe, there is a dangerous trend of governments limiting internet access. In 2019 Freedom House published a report documenting that law enforcement in 47 countries arrested people for posting political, social or …

September 17, 2020 In Xinjiang, authorities have detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in detention camps. It is the largest mass internment of an ethnic-religious minority group since World War II. A new report issued by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute states that between 2017 and 2019, more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred from the Xinjiang autonomous region to work …

August 26, 2020 There are continuing acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief against individuals, including against persons belonging to religious communities and religious minorities around the world, and the number and intensity of such incidents, which are often of a criminal nature and may have international characteristics, are increasing. That is why the UN General Assembly …

August 5, 2020 The third annual Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award celebrates an outstanding leader who is working to advance freedom of religion or belief by standing up to oppression in the pursuit of freedom of religion, belief, or conscience. 21Wilberforce Founder and President, Randel Everett, announced that the award will be presented to Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom …

July 1, 2020 Freedom matters to members of the house church movement, the Falun Gong, the Tibetan Buddhists and Uyghur Muslims in China that are persecuted by the China Communist Party. Freedom matters to Baha’is, Christians, Sunni and Sufi Muslims, and reformers among the Shiite Muslim majority suffering persecution in Iran. Freedom matters to historic Yezidi, Christian and other communities …

May 5, 2020 Today, the threat to international religious freedom is greater than ever as the virus pandemic is being used by governments and hate groups to justify and institutionalize repression. There is a vast number of ‘invisible’ people suffering for their religious identity, their faith, and or acts of conscience. The Coronavirus has not slowed religious persecution, but neither …

April 2, 2020 The past three months have jolted the world out of complacency with regard to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s long record of poor governance and lack of consideration for humanity. Religious persecution has continued amidst the coronavirus outbreak, and the CCP has even gone so far as to brag about its misdeeds—though it surely hoped readers would fail to …

March 11, 2020 This week Hindus in India (and around the world) celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the “Festival of Colors.” Jubilant crowds threw colored water and powders at one another during festivities. This ancient holiday commemorates the arrival of spring and it is meant to symbolize, among other things, good triumphing over evil. In contrast, …

February 27, 2020 Three months ago around 1:30 am on a Saturday morning, seven plain-clothes policemen arrested Ramy Kamel in his home under false charges brought by Egyptian authorities. Kamel’s house was stormed by security forces who confiscated his phone, camera, and laptop and then took him away.  Several hours later  Kamel, a Coptic Christian advocate, founded the Maspero Youth …

February 12, 2020 The National Prayer Breakfast, a yearly event first held in 1953, is the largest gathering of religious leaders from across America and around the world held in Washington, D.C. The series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners is always hosted by two members of Congress, one Democrat and one Republican. It attracts leaders from state capitols, large Christian …

January 27, 2020 Iran’s crackdown on Christians and other religious minorities continues to shock the conscience. They systematically violate the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act and that is why the U.S. has designated the Islamic Republic as a “Country of Concern.” As the regime faces increasing internal unrest, the more it will crack down on religious minorities it perceives is …

December 16, 2019 When 21Wilberforce opened its doors in January 2015, little did I realize that the wisdom I would gain from the persecuted would far exceed anything I could offer them.  As we near the end of 2019, I want to share seven insights the persecuted have taught me. First, I experienced joyful worship from 1800 Chinese house church pastors …