According to persecution watchdog Release International, some of the harshest persecution endured by Christians in 2008 is likely to take place in states where Christianity is illegal - North Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Elsewhere, millions of Christians this coming year will face varying degrees of harassment, persecution and repression simply because of where they live.
"Imprisonment, torture and even summary execution continue to be a fact of life for secret Christians in North Korea," says Tim Peters of Helping Hands Korea, which supports refugees escaping the repressive regime of Kim Jong-Il.
Saudi Arabia punishes anyone involved in evangelism or who converts a Muslim with jail or expulsion. Christian leaders have also been threatened with execution.
"Help us to stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters in 2008 - we have much to give them, and they have much to teach us," says Andy Dipper, the CEO of Release International, which serves the persecuted church in 30 nations.
Most persecution of Christians in 2008 is set to take place in the four 'zones' of Islam, communism, Hinduism and Buddhism, says Release. Persecution may stem from the government or its agents, such as the secret police, military or judiciary, or from non-governmental movements, such as militant Islamic groups.
THE ISLAMIC WORLD
For many years, one of the most repressive Islamic nations has been Saudi Arabia. As guardian of Islam's holiest sites Mecca and Medina Saudi forbids all other religions and threatens evangelists with execution. The government bans all Christian literature yet spends billions of dollars each year propagating Islam around the world.
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, the world has been made dramatically aware of Islamist global networks such as Al Qaeda, who exploit religious tensions and differences for their own political ends.
Islamist militants often view Christians and non-Muslims as infidels, who must be converted, by force if necessary, or be killed or driven out of Islamic lands. They believe it is their religious duty to impose Islamic Sharia law throughout their nation.
Even seemingly moderate Muslim countries' governments often fail to safeguard the rights of their Christian minorities. Christians suffer kidnapping, forced conversion to Islam, imprisonment, destruction of churches, discrimination in education, employment, housing and the legal system, executions, rape of Christian girls and torture.
Among other Islamic nations of particular concern Release International's partners report that Pakistan is becoming increasingly dangerous for Christians, as the turmoil in that nation continues.
In the latest edition of Release's Witness Magazine, the organisation's partner, Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP), elaborated on some of the difficulties facing the minority Christian community there.
"Christians face many forms of persecution in Pakistan: false implication in blasphemy cases, attacks against churches, land grabbing, forced conversion,maltreatment of Christian prisoners, rape and sometimes killing," said SLMP. "They don't have the same rights as the Muslim majority."
