Bhutan, South Asia
Population: 2,327,849
Christians: <1%
Dominant Religion: Buddhism
Persecution Ranking: 12th
Political Leader: King Jigme Singye Wangchuck
Religious Freedom in Constitution: N/A
The Drukpa, or dragon people, are the majority people group of Bhutan. They dominate the government and are devout followers of Lamaistic Buddhism, the state religion. The king has gone to great lengths to preserve the indigenous Buddhist culture of the Drukpa, even requiring all government workers to take an oath affirming their allegiance to 'one nation, one king and one religion'. Such attempts to stress the majority Buddhist culture led to resentment among the ethnic Nepali community in the south. The resulting violence forced tens of thousands of Nepalis to flee the country. Some 100,000 refugees live in poor conditions in refugee camps in Nepal. Officials from Nepal and Bhutan are engaged in ongoing dialogue about their repatriation. Evangelism or public expression of worship by any other faith is illegal. The authorities want Christians to stop witnessing and have closed many churches. Forms have been circulated requiring Christians to comply with 'rules and regulations governing the practice of religion.' Bhutan is morally bound by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees the "right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion," including the "freedom to change religion or belief." Yet Bhutan has no written constitution or bill of rights and there is no legal guarantee of freedom of religion.
