Christian ethos. Christian aid groups, including the American Friends Service Committee, the Mennonite Central Committee, the Eugene Bell Foundation, and World Vision, are able to operate in the country, but not allowed to proselytize. In 2016, Christmas was celebrated in North Korea, but with the religious overtones downplayed. In 2018, the North Korean Council of Religionists sent a Christmas message to South Korea that expressed the wish that believers on both sides "go hand in hand towards peace and unification, filled with blessings by Christ the Lord". North Korea is number two on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Islam The Pew Research Center estimated that there were 3,000 Muslims in North Korea in 2010, an increase from the 1,000 Muslims in 1990. There is a mosque in the Iranian embassy in Pyongyang called Ar-Rahman Mosque, the only mosque in the country. The mosque was likely built for the embassy staff, but visits by other foreigners are deemed possible, too. See also Ethnic minorities in North Korea Freedom of religion in North Korea Human rights in North Korea Irreligion in North Korea Misin tapa undong Religion in Japan Religion in Korea Religion in South Korea Footnotes References Sources Alton, David. Building Bridges: Is There Hope for North Korea?. Lion Hudson, 2013. Choi, Joon-sik . Folk-Religion: The Customs in Korea. Ewha Womans University Press, 2006. Chryssides, George D.; Geaves, Ron. The Study of Religion: An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2007. Corfield, Justin. Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. Anthem Press, 2013. Grayson, James H. Korea – A Religious History. Routledge, 2002. Kendall, Laurel. Shamans, Nostalgias, and the IMF: South Korean Popular Religion in Motion. University of Hawaii Press, 2010. Lee, Chi-ran. Chief Director, Haedong Younghan Academy. The Emergence of National Religions in Korea. Park, Young. Korea and the Imperialists: In Search of a National Identity. Author House, 2009. Min, Pyong Gap. Development of Protestantism in South Korea: Positive and Negative Elements. On: Asian American Theological Forum (AATF) 2014, VOL. 1 NO. 3, ISSN 2374-8133 Sorensen, Clark W. University of Washington. The Political Message of Folklore in South Korea's Student Demonstrations of the Eighties: An Approach to the Analysis of Political Theater. Paper presented at the conference "Fifty Years of Korean Independence", sponsored by the Korean Political Science Association, Seoul, Korea, July 1995. Tudor,