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Christian Persecution

Countries Where ISPs Block Christianity Online

Many internet service providers actively restrict or block access to Christian content. Here is what we know about where the Church faces digital censorship.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

Matthew 28:19–20

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Jesus Christ commanded His followers to take the Gospel to every nation on earth. That command has never been rescinded — and it is being directly resisted in 33 countries where state-controlled ISPs are used as instruments of religious suppression.

In these nations, where ISPs block Christianity at the infrastructure level, the Gospel cannot reach people through normal digital channels. Bibles are blocked. Christian apps return errors. Church streaming is filtered and shut down. Conversion can mean imprisonment or death.

This page documents every country where Christian internet censorship is active, maps the scope of the crisis, and calls believers worldwide to informed, scripture-directed response.

Read the Plan of Salvation →

Where ISPs Block Christianity

Tap or hover any highlighted country for details on ISP mechanisms, blocked content, and affected cities. Sources: Open Doors WWL 2026 · USCIRF 2025 · Comparitech · Freedom House.

Total ISP blocking — Christianity criminalized; internet state-controlled
Government-directed ISP blocking — Christian domains & apps actively blocked by law
ISP monitoring & selective blocking — specific Christian content filtered or restricted
No significant ISP blocking of Christian content
Hover countries for details · Sources: Open Doors WWL 2026 · USCIRF 2025 · Comparitech Internet Censorship Index · Bible Access List · Freedom House
Tier 1 — Total ISP Blocking

Christianity Fully Criminalized Online

In these six countries, the government owns or controls all ISPs by law. There is no independent internet. Christian content — including the Bible — is wholly inaccessible. Possession of Scripture in some of these nations can mean execution.

🇰🇵
North Korea
East Asia
Total Blocking
ISP MechanismState owns all ISPs (Korea Post & Telecommunications Corp). The national intranet "Kwangmyong" replaces the open internet for most citizens. All traffic monitored by State Security Department.
Blocked ContentAll Christian content without exception. Bible possession = execution or permanent labor camp.
Cities AffectedPyongyang, Hamhung, Chongjin, Wonsan — nationwide with zero exceptions
#1 on Open Doors WWL every year since 2002. Approximately 30 middle-school students were publicly executed in 2024 for watching foreign media on USB drives. An estimated 50,000–70,000 Christians are held in concentration camps.
🇨🇳
China
East Asia
Total Blocking
ISP MechanismThe "Great Firewall" (Golden Shield Project) run by MIIT. ISPs are legally required to block all unlicensed religious content. 2022 regulations require government permits for any online faith expression.
Blocked ContentBible.com, YouVersion, Pray.com, most Christian streaming platforms, foreign Christian news, underground church websites. State-approved "sanitized" Bible pushed in their place.
Cities AffectedNationwide — with extra AI surveillance in Xinjiang (Urumqi) and Tibet (Lhasa)
#19 on Open Doors WWL. Bible removed from Amazon China, JD.com, and Taobao. Approximately 100 million underground Christians operate in house churches facing constant ISP blocking and police raids.
🇹🇲
Turkmenistan
Central Asia
Total Blocking
ISP MechanismTurkmentelecom (state monopoly) controls all ISPs by law. No independent ISPs are permitted. All internet traffic is monitored by the government.
Blocked ContentAll Christian content. Religious material requires state registration — no Christian group has ever received approval.
Cities AffectedAshgabat, Turkmenabat, Dashoguz, Mary — nationwide
One of the world's most isolated states. Jehovah's Witnesses face imprisonment for conscientious objection. Christians worship in extreme secrecy with no digital tools available.
🇪🇷
Eritrea
East Africa
Total Blocking
ISP MechanismEriTel (state monopoly) controls all telecommunications. Military intelligence monitors all internet activity in the country.
Blocked ContentAll content from unauthorized Christian denominations. Only Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, and Sunni Islam are legal — all others are banned.
Cities AffectedAsmara, Keren, Massawa, Assab — nationwide
#6 on Open Doors WWL 2025. Thousands of Christians are imprisoned in metal shipping containers in the Saharan desert. No trial, no sentence — indefinite detention for faith.
🇦🇫
Afghanistan
South-Central Asia
Total Blocking
ISP MechanismTaliban Ministry of Propagation of Virtue & Prevention of Vice directs Afghan Telecom and all ISPs to block all Christian content. VPNs are criminalized.
Blocked ContentAll Christian websites, apps, and digital Scripture. No Christian content whatsoever is permitted under Taliban rule.
Cities AffectedKabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad — nationwide
Since the Taliban retook power in August 2021, Afghanistan's known Christian community went completely underground. Conversion from Islam is punishable by death. Scripture reaches believers only through covert networks.
🇸🇴
Somalia
East Africa / Horn of Africa
Total Blocking
ISP MechanismAl-Shabaab controls ISPs across large swathes of the south and center. The federal government has weak reach; Islamist extremists enforce Sharia through internet infrastructure.
Blocked ContentAll Christian content in Al-Shabaab-controlled territories. No churches operate openly anywhere in the country.
Cities AffectedMogadishu (partial), Kismayo, Baidoa, Jilib, Bu'aale
#2 on Open Doors WWL 2025. Somalia is among the most dangerous places on earth to be a Christian. Believers must keep their faith entirely secret. Discovery means death.

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

Hebrews 13:3

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:10
Tier 2 — Government-Directed ISP Blocking

Regulatory Bodies Mandate Blocking of Christian Domains

These countries have independent ISPs, but national regulators issue binding legal orders requiring those ISPs to block specific Christian websites, apps, and streaming services. Non-compliance by ISPs carries criminal or financial penalties.

🇮🇷
Iran
Middle East
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorMinistry of ICT / National Cyberspace Center
Blocked ContentChristian websites, satellite church broadcasts, evangelical apps, Persian-language Christian content, VPNs (criminalized). Online house churches are actively surveilled and shut down.
Cities AffectedTehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz, Shiraz — nationwide
#9 on Open Doors WWL 2025. Conversion from Islam is apostasy — a capital offense. Despite total ISP blocking of Christianity in Iran, house churches continue to grow underground.
🇸🇦
Saudi Arabia
Arabian Peninsula
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorCommunications & Information Technology Commission (CITC)
Blocked ContentAll non-Islamic religious content. Estimated 400,000+ websites blocked. Bible import is illegal. Online proselytizing is a criminal offense.
Cities AffectedRiyadh, Jeddah, Dammam — nationwide; non-Muslims barred entirely from Mecca and Medina
#12 on Open Doors WWL. No churches are permitted anywhere in Saudi Arabia. Expatriate Christians may worship only in private — never in groups visible to the public.
🇵🇰
Pakistan
South Asia
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorPakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
Blocked ContentContent deemed "blasphemous" — including Christian material discussing Muhammad or defending Christian faith. PTA issues blocking orders with no appeal mechanism.
Cities AffectedKarachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar — nationwide; worst in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab
#8 on Open Doors WWL 2025. A blasphemy accusation alone — even posted online — can trigger mob violence or murder. Pakistan's blasphemy laws are among the most dangerous in the world.
🇲🇲
Myanmar (Burma)
Southeast Asia
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorMinistry of Transport & Communications (military-controlled since 2021 coup)
Blocked ContentChristian websites, church communication platforms, social media used by Christian communities. Internet blackouts imposed specifically in Christian-majority states.
Cities / RegionsNaypyidaw, Yangon, Mandalay — targeted shutdowns in Kachin State (Myitkyina), Chin State (Hakha)
The military uses internet blackouts as a weapon against Christian ethnic minorities — Kachin, Karen, and Chin peoples. Thousands of churches have been burned or destroyed since the 2021 coup.
🇻🇳
Vietnam
Southeast Asia
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorMinistry of Information & Communications (MIC)
Blocked ContentWebsites of unregistered religious groups, Christian broadcasting, evangelical content. Decree 72 (2013) and the Cybersecurity Law (2018) are used to block and jail Christians.
Cities AffectedHanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang — worst in Central Highlands (Degar / Montagnard Christians)
Unregistered house churches face the severest persecution. Christian ethnic minorities (Hmong, Degar) experience an additional layer of state-directed ISP blocking and physical violence.
🇾🇪
Yemen
Arabian Peninsula
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorHouthi Supreme Political Council — controls approximately 70% of the population
Blocked ContentAll Christian content in Houthi-controlled territory. Conversion from Islam carries a death sentence.
Cities AffectedSana'a, Hodeidah, Sa'dah, Amran — Houthi-controlled areas
#3 on Open Doors WWL 2025. Civil war has decimated any Christian presence in Yemen. House churches operate in extreme secrecy. Discovery means death under Houthi Sharia enforcement.
🇦🇪
United Arab Emirates
Arabian Peninsula
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorTelecommunications & Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)
Blocked ContentContent contrary to Islamic values including Christian evangelism, proselytizing material, and some church-related content targeting Muslim audiences.
Churches exist for expatriates but are tightly regulated. Proselytizing to Muslims carries criminal penalties under UAE law. ISP blocking of Christian content is systematic and ongoing.
🇶🇦
Qatar
Arabian Peninsula
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorMinistry of Communications & Information Technology
Blocked ContentNon-Islamic religious sites, Christian evangelism content, proselytizing material targeting Muslims.
Churches permitted only for expatriate use on government-provided land. No proselytizing of any kind is permitted. ISP blocking of Christian content is legally mandated and enforced.
🇰🇼
Kuwait
Arabian Peninsula
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorMinistry of Information / Communication & Information Technology
Blocked ContentChristian and non-Islamic religious content, proselytizing material, websites of unregistered Christian groups.
Churches exist but are severely restricted in number and location. Only churches established before 1990 are permitted. No new church construction is allowed under Kuwaiti law.
🇱🇦
Laos
Southeast Asia
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorMinistry of Posts & Telecommunications / Ministry of Home Affairs
Blocked ContentChristian websites and apps not approved by the Lao Front for National Construction. Village authorities authorized to cut off any online activity related to unapproved religion.
#54 on Open Doors WWL. Christians are regularly expelled from villages. The Bible has "severe" restrictions per Bible Access List. Village-level ISP blocking gives local officials near-total power over Christian internet access.
🇹🇯
Tajikistan
Central Asia
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorState Committee on Religious Affairs & Regulation of Traditions (SCRF)
Blocked ContentAll Christian online content not pre-approved by SCRF. Christian materials require government registration — virtually never granted to evangelical or Protestant groups.
Sharp rise on Open Doors WWL 2025. Raids on house churches are increasing. Only Russian Orthodox and some Catholics are nominally tolerated — evangelical Christians face systematic ISP blocking and criminal prosecution.
🇺🇿
Uzbekistan
Central Asia
Gov-Directed Blocking
RegulatorAgency of Information & Mass Communications (AIMC)
Blocked ContentChristian content from unapproved denominations. Government controls ISPs and systematically restricts religious content. Possession of unapproved Christian literature is a criminal offense.
Bible Access List rates Uzbekistan "severe" for Scripture restrictions. Jehovah's Witnesses face particularly severe sentences. ISP blocking of Christianity is comprehensive and enforced.

"Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound."

2 Timothy 2:9

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth."

Romans 1:16
Tier 3 — ISP Monitoring & Selective Blocking

Targeted Filtering of Christian Content

These nations filter evangelism, missionary content, or religious minority websites — either nationwide or in sub-national regions under Islamist or authoritarian control. Selective ISP blocking of Christian websites is active and documented.

🇷🇺
Russia
Eastern Europe / Central Asia

Roskomnadzor blocks JW.org nationwide since 2017. Jehovah's Witnesses classified as "extremist." Growing restrictions on evangelical, Baptist, and charismatic content. Enforcement strongest in Muslim republics (Chechnya, Dagestan).

🇲🇾
Malaysia
Southeast Asia

MCMC directs ISPs to block Christian proselytizing content targeting Muslims. Malay-language Bibles seized at border crossings. "Allah" banned for Christians in peninsular Malaysia. Kelantan and Terengganu most restrictive.

🇩🇿
Algeria
North Africa

ISPs block Christian missionary and evangelical websites not registered under Algeria's restrictive 2006 law. Dozens of churches forcibly closed since 2017. Bibles confiscated at borders. Proselytizing to Muslims is illegal.

🇲🇻
Maldives
South Asia / Indian Ocean

ISPs block Christian proselytizing content. Public practice of any non-Islamic religion is constitutionally illegal. Constitution requires all citizens to be Muslim — conversion results in loss of citizenship. No churches exist anywhere in the nation.

🇮🇶
Iraq
Middle East

ISP shutdowns during politically sensitive periods. Christian content selectively blocked in some provinces. Iraq's Christian population has collapsed from ~1.5 million in 2003 to under 200,000 today due to ISIS genocide and ongoing persecution.

🇱🇾
Libya
North Africa

Christian content filtered under Sharia-influenced ISP rules. Multiple competing governments mean inconsistent enforcement. #4 on Open Doors WWL 2025. No open churches. Christians (mostly migrants) worship in hiding.

🇸🇩
Sudan
Northeast Africa

National Telecommunications Corporation filters Christian content. Apostasy laws applied to online activity. #5 on Open Doors WWL 2025. 44 Christians killed and 100 sexually assaulted in the WWL 2025 reporting period alone.

🇸🇾
Syria
Middle East

Government-directed ISP blocking and surveillance of Christian content deemed threatening. Syria jumped to #6 on Open Doors WWL 2026 after an attack on a Damascus church killed 22 people in June 2025.

🇨🇺
Cuba
Caribbean

ETECSA (state monopoly — Cuba's only ISP) monitors and restricts Christian content. Underground churches are targeted. State-registered churches must report members and sermon content to the government. #26 on Open Doors WWL 2025.

🇲🇷
Mauritania
West Africa

ISPs block Christian content. Apostasy and blasphemy are capital offenses under the Penal Code. No churches exist for Mauritanian citizens. Any online Christian witness risks criminal prosecution. #21 on Open Doors WWL.

🇳🇬
Nigeria — Northern States
West Africa

12 northern states under Sharia direct ISP filtering of Christian content. 3,490 Nigerian Christians killed in WWL 2026 reporting period — 72% of the global total. Southern Nigeria has significant Christian freedom.

🇧🇹
Bhutan
South Asia

ISPs restrict Christian content. Proselytizing is illegal. No churches are legally registered anywhere in the country. Christianity must be practiced entirely in private with no digital presence permitted.

🇲🇦
Morocco
North Africa

ISPs block Christian missionary content targeting Muslims. Conversion from Islam is effectively illegal and socially devastating. Foreign Christians may worship privately; Moroccan converts face family violence, job loss, and prosecution.

🇲🇱
Mali
West Africa / Sahel

ISP restrictions on Christian content in Islamist-controlled northern territories (Timbuktu, Gao, Kidal regions). Jihadist groups JNIM and GSIM enforce total bans on Christian presence. Churches burned throughout the north.

🇧🇫
Burkina Faso
West Africa / Sahel

ISP monitoring and selective blocking in jihadist-controlled areas. Over 6,000 Christians killed by jihadists in recent years. Pastors targeted and executed. Churches burned nationwide. Nord, Sahel, and Est regions under active jihadist control.

Notable Territories & Sub-Regions

These territories are not mapped as independent countries but have documented ISP-level blocking or severe restrictions on Christian content.

Gaza Strip

Hamas controls internet infrastructure. One of the world's oldest Christian communities faces extreme pressure. Churches in Gaza City bombed. Approximately 1,000 Christians remain — operating in extreme secrecy.

Xinjiang, China

Extra AI surveillance layer beyond the Great Firewall. Religious content of any kind is blocked. Both mosques and churches targeted simultaneously. The world's most sophisticated digital persecution infrastructure.

Tibet, China

Additional restrictions beyond the Great Firewall. Christian presence is minimal; Tibetan Buddhism itself is also systematically suppressed by state-controlled ISPs.

Chechnya, Russia

Kadyrov regime enforces strict Islamic control. Non-Islamic Christian content monitored and blocked. Russian Orthodox is tolerated; evangelical Christians are specifically targeted for ISP surveillance and blocking.

Aceh Province, Indonesia

Indonesia's only Sharia-governed province. Christian content is subject to local Sharia filtering. Indonesia overall has significant religious freedom — Aceh is the documented exception.

Dagestan, Russia

Russian republic with strong Islamist enforcement. Christian content filtered locally, adding a regional layer on top of Roskomnadzor's national-level ISP blocking of Christian content.

The Scale of Global Christian Persecution

365M
Christians experiencing high levels of persecution globally
33
Countries with documented ISP-level blocking of Christianity
4,476
Christians killed for their faith (WWL 2026 reporting period)
14,766
Churches attacked, closed, or destroyed in the reporting period

What Scripture Calls Us to Do

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

Matthew 5:44 — Jesus Christ

Pray for the Persecuted

Hebrews 13:3 commands us to remember those in bonds as if we ourselves were bound with them. Pray by name for the nations on this map — for open doors, divine protection, and bold witnesses who cannot be silenced.

Support Digital Access

Organizations like Open Doors, Voice of the Martyrs, and Bible smuggling networks are getting Scripture into countries where ISPs block Christianity every day. Your support makes it possible.

Share the Gospel Now

In nations where ISPs block Christianity, this page may be someone's first exposure to the Gospel. Share it. And read God's Plan of Salvation — the most important truth we can offer to a world in darkness.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Romans 8:35, 37

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