90% of the Kyrgyz population is Muslim. 7% are Christian, including 3% who are Russian Orthodox.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Kyrgyzstan, see here.
“Videos inciting hatred towards Christians being widely shared in Kyrgyzstan,” Open Doors, October 5, 2023:
In Kyrgyzstan (number 59 on the World Watch List), videos inciting hatred towards Kyrgyz Christians who have converted from Islam are being widely distributed on the internet.
In these videos, Christian believers are called sectarians (strong supporters of a minority group or ‘sect’) and traitors of the nation and native faith. The creators of these videos are calling for people to break into Christian communities and churches to capture the faces of believers on video and then distribute their images online to encourage persecution.
False information is also being spread that Christians are very aggressive and ready to attack representatives of other faiths.
Mahri’s relatives police her phone
Sadly, technology is increasingly being used to target Christians across Asia. In China and Myanmar, the sophistication of surveillance tech is being used to track believers’ phones and online activity. But that doesn’t mean Kyrgyz believers are free from monitoring.
Mahri* (24) used to go to church with her mother, a former Uyghur Muslim. Mahri’s mother’s relatives were completely against her Christian faith, and didn’t offer any help when Mahri’s dad passed away.
Unfortunately, Mahri’s mother also died, and Mahri went to live with her aunt – who has completely forbidden her to believe in Jesus, attend house church meetings and have any communication with other believers. Every time Mahri leaves the house, her aunt bombards her with questions: “Where are you going? Who are you seeing?” Mahri’s phone is constantly checked, and she’s not even allowed to attend school….
