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Since the time of [[Jesus]], many Christians have experienced persecution from both non-Christians and from other Christians during the history of Christianity. Persecution has included confiscation of Bibles, destruction, imprisonment, torture and even execution. Today, some of the worst persecution of Christians occurs in [[Islam|Islamic]] countries such a as [[Saudi Arabia]] where Christians who openly profess their faith risk death.

Jesus himself is the ultimate example of persecution. He told his disciples that if people persecuted him, they would also persecute his disciples. In the early church, persecution, even to death, was common. Today, in much of the world, although there is freedom of religion, Christians are stilled still hated, and in some places, killed for their faith.

Each year the organisation [[Open Doors]] compiles a list of the countries where severe persecution of Christians occursoccur. For the last four years, communist [[North Korea]] has been the worse offendedworst offender, closely followed by Islamic Saudi Arabia, [[Iran]], [[Somalia]] and the [[Maldives]]. Its [[2007 AD|2007]] list of the ten countries where persecution of Christians is worst is as follows