Iraq is listed in 14^th position in the World Watch report 2022 by Open Doors for Christian persecution. Modern Iraq occupies what was once ancient Mesopotamia, but the world now knows Iraq less as a memorial to its vibrant history and more as a bloody battleground. The current president is Barham Salih. The incumbent Prime Minister of Iraq is Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who holds most of the executive authority and is appointed to the Council of Ministers, which acts as a cabinet and/or government. In Iraq, the presence of Islamic extremist groups and their ideology continue to influence society. Christians are pressured to conform to the Islamic way of life and are often faced with physical abuse or the threat of kidnapping. The Iraqi government discriminates against Christians in various contexts, from the workplace to traveling checkpoints across the country. Blasphemy laws can be used to punish Christians who try to spread the gospel.

Twenty-six years of civil war pitted Sri Lanka’s government forces, representing the Buddhist Sinhala majority, against Hindu Tamil separatists. The conflict resulted in upwards of 100,000 deaths. Although the conflict ended in 2009, tensions and accusations remain, and promised truth and reconciliation commissions have never been forthcoming. Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any predominately Buddhist nation. This, combined with nationalism, results in the ongoing violent persecution of all who are not Buddhist. This year the nation was plunged into bankruptcy, with major food and fuel shortages bringing people onto the street in widespread protests that forced the president to resign and flee.