Afghanistan: Persecution of Christians set to intensify under Taliban rule

Rights groups, including Release International, are warning that the persecution of Christians in Afghanistan will likely intensify now the Taliban have taken power and the US and NATO have withdrawn, Christian Today (CT) reports. The Afghan church had been driven underground by Islamic apostasy laws even before the Taliban takeover, but the situation is now reported to be “dire.”

Two Supreme Court Justices want SCOTUS to review defamation law through Christian ministry case

Two US Supreme Court have stated that a defamation lawsuit by D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) offers the Court an opportunity to review its controversial landmark defamation ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), Fox News reports. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch are calling for the Supreme Court to hear the case specifically in order to revisit the high standard of “actual malice” that was set in 1964, and which they say has rendered it excessively difficult for plaintiffs to prove libel.

‘Taliban To Respect Women’s Right, But Introduces Sharia’

Afghanistan’s Islamist militant Taliban group pledged Monday that it would “respect the rights of women” if they respect its strict interpretation of Islam. “They can work and have education within Islamic law,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid during his group’s first press conference since taking control over Afghanistan.

US President Biden Defends Leaving Afghanistan

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that the takeover of Afghanistan by the Islamist Taliban group went more quickly than anticipated. Still, he defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the war-torn country. “American troops should not die in a war that Afghans are not willing to fight for themselves,” he told the nation in televised remarks from the White House.

Taliban Searching Homes For U.S. Allies

Heartbreaking reports emerged Monday of Islamist Taliban fighters going house-to-house to find people who supported the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan.

India persecution: Christians imprisoned for praying with grieving family

Three Christians have been imprisoned in India’s Uttar Pradesh state after Hindu extremists beat them up and accused them of unlawfully converting people to Christianity, Morning Star News reports. Persecution against Christians in India has greatly intensified since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.

Illinois reinstates Christian schools’ recognition status after revoking for non-compliance of mask mandate

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) on Friday reinstated Timothy Christian Schools’ recognition status after having revoked it for non-compliance with the state’s universal indoor mask mandate, the Daily Herald reports. Updating its health policy to comply with the mandate, Timothy Christian said it had not outrightly rejected Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask order, but had been conducting “due diligence” to assess its legality.

China charges four Christian teachers with conducting illegal activity

Continuing its policy of “Sinicizing” the church and country, China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) arrested four house church school teachers in Wuhu, Anhui Province earlier this month, and charged them with conducting “illegal business operations,” International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. China now ranks 17 on the US Open Doors 2021 Watch List of top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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