Thus Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and Afghan istan suffer persecution and even death from some dominant Sunni groups. Religious freedom is also not confined to any one area or continent. There are relatively free countries in every continent and of every religious background. Perhaps surprisingly, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, South Africa, Botswana, Mali, and Namibia are freer than France and Belgium. There are now absolutely no grounds for thinking that religious freedom is an exclusively Western desire or achievement.
Religious freedom varies depending on the historical religion of the country.
This is complex, since current regimes may reflect comparatively little of a country s religious background. China, North Korea, and Vietnam have a largely Buddhist background, but current religious repression comes from self proclaimed atheistic materialists. Turkey has an Islamic background but the present secular government aggressively represses peaceful Muslim expression. Thirty years ago many traditionally Christian countries were under Communist repression. Despite this variety, the overall patterns can be illuminating.