Indonesian Cleric Gets One-Year Sentence for Provoking Church Attacks
An Indonesian court sentenced an Islamic cleric to one year in jail for provoking hundreds of people to riot, attacking police and burning churches.
Month: June 2011
Christian Communities Disappearing in Northern Nigeria
The Christian farmers of Mdandi village in northern Nigeria were preparing for a new harvest when armed Islamists attacked their homes and drove them out.
Prisoner for Christ; An Iranian Christian Rejoices in Suffering
No country in the Middle East has seen more Christians imprisoned in 2011 than in Iran. A recent report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide revealed that 254 Christians were arrested in more than thirty cities across the country since June 2010.
Nepal Defends Law Against Evangelism
Nepal’s government has defended a proposed law that Christians say effectively bans evangelism and could lead to a crackdown on devoted believers.
Sudan Christians Concerned As Violence Spreads
Christians in Sudan expressed concern about their future as South Sudan’s army said northern warplanes bombed its territory on Monday, June 13, following fighting in a tense border area.
Yemen Sees Second Anniversary Of Kidnapping Christians
Sunday, June 12, marked the second anniversary of the kidnappings of nine Christian foreigners in Yemen by suspected Muslim militants, but German and British investigators “were understood” to have ended “their active search” for those still missing, advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC) said.
Nigeria Detains Alleged Militants Who Killed Pastor
Police in northern Nigeria have detained suspected Islamic militants who allegedly killed a pentecostal pastor, his assistant, and at least 10 other people, Worthy News monitored Saturday, June 11.
Zimbabwe Anglicans Evicted From Churches and Homes
Anglicans in Zimbabwe are facing increasing levels of political violence in order to silence them ahead of local elections as the current regime forces their churches into a position of political compliance in order to continue to worship there.
Algerian Christians Continue to Worship Despite Government Order
The High Commissioner of police in Bejaia ordered all Christian churches closed, including places of worship still under construction; if not, the commissioner threatened “severe consequences and punishments” would result.
Egypt Detains Hundreds Of Eritrean Christians, Others Kidnapped
Hundreds of mainly Christian refugees from Eritrea are jailed or or held by kidnappers in Egypt, where they face torture, beatings and sexual assault, according to Christian aid workers who contacted Worthy News.
Concerns Grow Over “Tortured” Iran Prisoner Fathi
The fate of an Iranian Christian prisoner remained unclear Friday, June 10, nearly nine months after he was detained by security forces as part of a reported government crackdown on devoted Christians in this strict Islamic nation.
Indonesia Urged To Halt “Increased Violence” Against Christians, Moderate Muslims
An international Christian rights group has expressed “grave concerns” about increased violence against Christians and other religious minorities in Indonesia and urged the government to tackle Islamic extremism.
Last Ethiopian Jews To Return To Israel, Christian Group Says
A Christian group said Tuesday, June 7, it would help organize “the return of the last 8,700 Ethiopian Jews to Israel” by sponsoring what are known as “Aliyah” flights, the coming months.
Nepal Plans New Criminal Code Forbidding Evangelism
After abolishing Hinduism as its state religion, Nepal is now proposing a new criminal code forbidding a person from one faith to “convert a person, or abet him to change his religion.”
Call to Ban Bible Bothers Pakistan’s Christians
Pakistani Christians are troubled by a Bible ban from radical Muslim clerics whose own prophet had never outlawed it.
Iranian Persecution Increases Christianity’s Appeal among Muslims
An increase in the arrest of Iranians converting from Islam reveals an abundant harvest resulting from evangelism by clandestine house churches in the Islamic state, according to Iranian Christian leaders.
China Detains House Church Alliance Official
Chinese authorities have detained a key official of an influential umbrella group of house churches in China as part of a wider crackdown on unauthorized worship in the country, rights activists and Chinese Christians said Thursday, June 2.
Pakistan Christians Forgive Church Attackers
A tense calm returned Thursday, June 2, to a Pakistani village in Pakistan’s turbulent Punjab province after local Christians announced they had forgiven armed Muslims who attacked their church, mediators said.