This shirt is illegal in 51 countries

[arcadian]

I'd like to know what countries, "Restricted Nations" and "Hostile Areas".

&Size=400

[tekisui]

1. France would be a restricted nation, right?

No religious garb at schools.

[XemaSab]

2. Probably large swaths of Asia

and a few corners in Africa. :shrug:

[NYC_SKP]

3. Here is a partial list of the major areas of Christian persecution:

It's hard for me to imagine looking over my shoulder because I'm studying a Bible, or worshipping in church. To think if I were caught, I could be jailed, beaten, or even killed. But to millions of Christians around the world, this is their reality.

For instance, in China there is a crack down on unregistered house churches, disrupting worship, and arresting their leaders.

In parts of Central Asia where the state religion is mandated, Christians are considered traitors to their country and their families. Family members are beaten, and then thrown out of their house and onto the streets.

In the Middle East and parts of India and Africa, laws prohibit Christians from evangelizing, and forbid citizens from choosing Christianity over the religion into which they were born. Christians caught sharing God’s Word are chased out of town, beaten, or worse.

*snip*


Here is a partial list of the major areas of Christian persecution:

China
Religious Freedom Rating: 6 (7 is worst)
Population: 1287 million (2003 est.)
Widespread persecution of church leaders and members, especially those in unregistered (underground) churches, which may represent as many as 100 million believers.

Indonesia
Religious Freedom Rating: 5 (7 is worst)
Population: 235 million (2003 est.)
Militant Muslims have waged periodic Jihad (‘Holy War’) against Christian communities in the Molucca Islands and Sulawesi. Over 600 churches have been destroyed since 1996.

Nigeria
Religious Freedom Rating: 5 (7 is worst)
Population: 134 million (2003 est.)
The imposition of Islamic Sharia law in more than 10 states has caused thousands of Christians to flee, and has exacerbated differences between the predominantly Christian south and the Islamic north.

North Korea
Religious Freedom Rating: 7 (7 is worst)
Population: 22 million (2003 est.)
Over 100,000 people, including many Christians, are believed to be imprisoned in North Korea’s barbaric death camps. The brutal dictatorship of Kim Jong Il suppresses all religious activities, and imposes a personality cult based around the ‘Great Leader’.

Pakistan
Religious Freedom Rating: 6 (7 is worst)
Population: 151 million (2003 est.)
Pakistan’s poorly-drafted 295c blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty for ‘blaspheming Mohammed’, have been misused against Christians and other minorities. Militant Muslims are increasingly attacking churches and Christian organisations.

Sudan
Religious Freedom Rating: 7 (7 is worst)
Population: 38 million (2003 est.)
Famine and the long-running civil war between the Muslim North and Christian/animist South have led to over two million deaths in the last two decades. Thousands of Southern Sudanese have been literally enslaved after being seized in government raids.

Cuba
Religious Freedom Rating: 6 (7 is worst)
Population: 11 million (2003 est.)
The church was initially persecuted by the Communist regime of Fidel Castro, when church leaders were sent to labour camps. Christians now enjoy greater freedom, although house churches are still subject to repression.

Colombia
Religious Freedom Rating: 4 (7 is worst)
Population: 42 million (2003 est.)
Pastors have been targeted by guerrilla movements such as FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), with 400 churches being forced to close in areas under the control of armed groups. Christians have also been killed for speaking out against violence and the widespread drugs trade.

Morocco
Religious Freedom Rating: 4 (7 is worst)
Population: 32 million (2003 est.)
Anyone converting to Christianity can face charges of treachery and illegal contact with foreign missions. A small Moroccan church is emerging, estimated to number some 500 indigenous believers in 2000.

Mauritania
Religious Freedom Rating: 6 (7 is worst)
Population: 2.9 million (2003 est.)
Islam is the state religion, and conversion from Islam is strictly forbidden. The Catholic Church is the only recognised religious group outside of Islam. Sharia law is intermittently applied.

Algeria
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 33 million (2003 est.)
In recent years Christians have been attacked by the Islamic Salvation Front, and Islamic fundamentalists are pushing for the implementation of Sharia law.

Libya
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 5.5 million (2003 est.)
Sunni Islam is the state religion, but secular influences are strong. There are very few Libyan Christian believers. There is a limit of one church per denomination per city.

Egypt
Religious Freedom Rating: 5 (7 is worst)
Population: 75 million (2003 est.)
The constitution gives preference to Muslims, and Christians are often treated as second-class citizens, denied political representation and discriminated against in employment. The Egyptian Coptic Church is by far the largest body of Christians in the Middle East.

Somalia
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 8 million (2003 est.)
The small Somali church has been driven underground, and exists mainly in the south. A number of believers have been martyred, others have been publicly named as targets for execution.

Turkey
Religious Freedom Rating: 5 (7 is worst)
Population: 68 million (2003 est.)
The Christian Population has declined from 22 per cent in 1900 to 0.32 per cent today. There is increasing openness by the government to recognise Turkey as a multi-cultural, multi-religious country. Periodic acts of violence against non-Muslim institutions.

Syria
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 18 million (2003 est.)
Christian minorities are tolerated and have freedom to worship and witness within their own community, but all activities that could threaten the government or communal harmony are carefully watched.

Kuwait
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 2.1 million (2003 est.)
Christians are free to live and work in Kuwait, but must worship in a recognised location. Evangelism to Kuwaitis is forbidden.

Saudi Arabia
Religious Freedom Rating: 7 (7 is worst)
Population: 24 million (2003 est.)
Saudi Arabia is the guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. Any citizen who converts from Islam to another religion faces the death penalty. Islamic Sharia law is the main source of legislation.

Qatar
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 0.8 million (2003 est.)
Criticism of the ruling family monarchy or Islam is a crime. However expatriate believers are allowed to practise their faith.

Yemen
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 19 million (2003 est.)
It is illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity, and those Yemenis who do face many social pressures. Most Christians in the country are expatriates, many being Ethiopian refugees.

Oman
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 2.8 million (2003 est.)
Churches and church activities for expatriates are allowed, but evangelism of Muslims is forbidden. There is a handful of indigenous believers.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 2.5 million
Islam is the state religion. Expatriate Christians, representing many different language groups, have freedom to worship and witness to their faith.

Iran
Religious Freedom Rating: 7 (7 is worst)
Population: 68 million
Shi’a Islam is the state religion. Conversion from Islam to another faith is a capital crime. There is a ban on the printing of all Christian literature, and constant surveillance of churches and those who attend them.

Iraq
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 25 million (2003 est.)
After the fall of Saddam Hussein, members of underground churches have more freedom to practise their faith. The Christian community is largely Assyrian, with some Armenians. About one-third of all Christians fled Iraq in the 1990s.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Religious Freedom Rating: 4-7 (7 is worst)
The CIS comprises Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Christians face harassment and repression from both old-guard Communists, and Islamic militants.

Afghanistan
Religious Freedom Rating: na (7 is worst)
Population: 29 million (2003 est.)
Although public persecution of Christians disappeared with the ousting of the hardline Islamic Taliban government in 2001, Christians still face harassment from militant Muslims.

Nepal
Religious Freedom Rating: 5 (7 is worst)
Population: 26 million (2003 est.)
Militant Hindus are targeting Christians with hostile propaganda and violence; while Maoist guerrillas, who control one-fifth of the country, have also attacked Christians.

India
Religious Freedom Rating: 5 (7 is worst)
Population: 1050 million
States such as Orissa and Gujarat have been racked by violence as radical Hindus have attacked Christian communities. Six Indian states have passed anti-conversion laws that impose prison terms and fines against anyone using force, fraud or allurement to convert another.

Bangladesh
Religious Freedom Rating: 6 (7 is worst)
Population: 139 million
Islam is the state religion, and radical Muslims are pushing for the introduction of full Islamic Sharia law. Hindus, Christians and Buddhists have all experienced religious discrimination and attacks by militant Muslims.

Sri Lanka
Religious Freedom Rating: 4 (7 is worst)
Population: 20 million (2003 est.)
Buddhism is given the ‘foremost place’ in the Constitution. Militant Buddhists have increasingly instigated mob violence against evangelical Christians in rural areas. 65 churches were attacked in 2003.

Bhutan
Religious Freedom Rating: 6 (7 is worst)
Population: 2.1 million (2003 estimate)
All public worship and evangelism by non-Buddhists is illegal. The king wields absolute power, and there are no legal guarantees on freedom of religion.

Burma (Myanmar)
Religious Freedom Rating: 7 (7 is worst)
Population: 43 million (2003 est.)
The State Peace and Development Council attempts to control every religious activity. All gatherings of five or more people are illegal. Ethnic minorities, such as the Karen, have been targets of repression.

Malaysia
Religious Freedom Rating: 4 (7 is worst)
Population: 23 million (2003 est.)
Although the constitution guarantees religious freedom, fundamentalist Muslims do everything in their power politically to inhibit Christian evangelism. Ethnic Malays are not allowed to have a Christian place of worship.

Laos
Religious Freedom Rating: n/a (7 is worst)
Population: 5.9 million
Communist leaders in some districts have implemented a program called ‘New Mechanism’ in which anyone who does not convert to Buddhism or animism is forcibly removed from their district. Christian villagers have been forced to sign documents renouncing their faith.

Eritrea
Religious Freedom Rating: n/a (7 is worst)
Population: 4.4 million (2003 est.)
Evangelical Christians have come under increasing pressure from the regime led by President Afworki. Only four religious groups are allowed to hold public meetings: Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox and Lutheran. Evangelical Christians have been imprisoned.

Maldives
Religious Freedom Rating: n/a (7 is worst)
Population: 0.3 million (2003 est.)
This popular holiday destination in the Indian Ocean hides a repressive regime. Free speech is not respected for the press or non-Muslim religions. In 1998 all known Maldivian Christians were arrested.

Tibet
Religious Freedom Rating: 7 (7 is worst)
Population: 5 million
Christians find themselves caught between pressure from both Buddhism and Chinese communism. In 1999 the Chinese Communist Party in Lhasa decreed that atheism is necessary to promote economic development in the region, and to assist the struggle against the Dalai Lama (who fled in 1959).
created by NotAshamed (7/16/2008 12:01 PM)

http://www.zazzle.com/this_shirt_is_illegal_in_51_countries-235532352437339739

:patriot:

[arcadian]

14. Sorry, using the company's own marketing doesn't provide a valid source.

[NYC_SKP]

15. FYI: The entirety of my reply are someone else's words, link was included.

Not meant as an endorsement, not by a long shot.

And, yes, that list of countries could be bullshit.

Also, should have text-boxed it, it has the appearance that I wrote the beginning.

[HeresyLives]

4. Isn't illegal anywhere.

Christians exist all over the world.

The 't-shirt', any kind of t-shirt, might be though.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Wearing xtian symbols is considered offensive to muslims and is banned in many muslim countries

islamic regions. There was a kerfuffle about it with football(soccer) uniforms IIRC.

[Buck Laser]

5. My guess is that's an unprovable claim.

In other words, it's bullshit.

[HeresyLives]

7. I'd say so.

Poor persecuted Christians. :rofl:

[laconicsax]

9. I'm sure the US is one of the "Hostile Areas." They're such an oppressed minority.

[Journeyman]

6. A lot of school districts in the US ban the wearing of all printed shirts . . .

which is, on the whole, done to reduce gang affiliation and associated violence. I imagine there might be occasion to ban a shirt like this one, where the cross is somewhat stylized and printed in blood red. I wouldn't see it as a ban on Christianity, but then, I'm a rational person capable of independent thought. In other words, I don't formulate my opinions from slogans found on t-shirts.

[MercutioATC]

8. Exactly...and the shirt doesn't claim that it's banned EVERYWHERE in 51 countries.

I have no doubt that there are individual places in 51 countries that wearing a religious shirt depicting a cross is not allowed.

I've been having this discussion a lot today. It's not a lie, it's advertising. It makes an outrageous claim without technically lying.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Mostly that is done to avoid having to make and support judgement call, not unlike other zero

tolerance rules.

[mzteris]

11. if we could just outlaw

all religion in all countries - - - we'd have less war and less persecution, with more tolerance, peace, unity, and equality.

[southernyankeebelle]

13. Well I live in the south in a rural area. My catholic church doesn't seem to

be a welcome to this small town I live in. People told me that once when mass was going on someone put nasty signs on the cars in the parking lot. There is only one catholic church where I live in the whole town. Than my son told me that his future wife didn't want to marrying in our church. I was shocked. I didn't expect them to get married in our church anyway because my son isn't a practicing catholic. We do have a grandchild that I will teach to say the rosary. She and her momma go to this wacky church. The preacher got the calling to preach. You know how those kinds of preachers are. My husband could debate them easily and win on the bible. Alot of these people think because they get the calling they can be preachers. I remember a friend Uncle was one of those kinds of preachers. I didn't know about those kinds of preachers when I moved here. So I made the mistake to ask her what schools did he go to? She said he got the calling and didn't go to any school. She also said she wouldn't go to one of those kind of ministers. I told her well if he decided to go into the military they wouldn't take him because he doesn't have the proper training. Again she said she wouldn't trust those kind of ministers.