Christians are the most persecuted religion in the world, according to a new report

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The Pew Research Centre Report, which analysed religious freedom in 198 countries and territories, revealed religious antagonism saw its biggest surge in over a decade in 2016, with Christians and Muslims - followers of the world's two biggest religions - ranking as the top victims of political restrictions and social hostility.

Christians reported incidents of harassment in more places around the world than any other tradition - 144 countries in 2016 compared to 128 countries in 2015 and 108 in 2014.

Incidents included discrimination, verbal assault, physical attacks, arrests and the destruction of religious sites.

Islam, the world’s second largest religion behind Christianity, saw Muslims suffer harassment in 142 countries in 2016 - up from 125 in 2015 and 100 in 2014.