Pakistan Sentences Christian Mother To Death For Blasphemy
A Pakistani court has sentenced Shagufta Kiran, a Christian mother of four, to death for “committing blasphemy against Islam,” a senior Christian advocacy activist told Worthy News Thursday.
Christian Persecution – Asia
Pakistan Detains Police Officer For Killing Blasphemy Suspect
Pakistani authorities detained a police officer who allegedly shot dead a man for “blasphemy against Islam” following the recent killing of a Christian on similar charges, Worthy News established Saturday.
Bangladesh: Christians and Hindus Persecuted by Islamist Parties
Religious rights advocates have warned that Christians and Hindus in Bangladesh are experiencing intensified persecution as the country’s interim government has allowed the previously banned Jamaat-e-Islami Islamic party to have free reign in the country, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) reports.
India: Hindu Extremists Attack Church in Odisha State
Amid ongoing persecution against Christians in India by Hindu extremists, a pastor and several other believers were assaulted during a Hindu nationalist attack on a church service in Odisha state on Sunday, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia Pastor Worships Outdoors After Church Removal
An evangelical pastor in Indonesia says he is resuming worship services despite being removed from a store where his congregation had been meeting in a show of defiance toward authorities of the world’s largest Muslim nation.
Indonesia: Officials Drag Pastor Out of Worship Center, Seal Church Shut
A pastor in Jombang Regency, Indonesia was last month dragged out of a shop his church had been meeting in by around 50 government officials who then sealed the shop shut, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Attacked Christians In Pakistan Still Await Relief, Justice
Over a year after thousands of furious Muslims attacked a Christian area in the city of Jaranwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province, many survivors living there still await promised “relief and justice,” well-informed Christian aid workers told Worthy News.
Pakistan Christian Girl Forced To Marry and Convert; Two Boys Held For ‘Blasphemy’
There was concern Thursday about three Christian youngsters in Pakistan, including a 12-year-old girl who was forced to marry and convert to Islam while two 18-year-old brothers were charged with blasphemy, several sources said.
Christians Pray As Indonesia Descents Into Chaos Over Election Reforms
Christians in Indonesia appealed for prayers Tuesday as security forces crushed nationwide protests against attempts by parliamentary allies of outgoing President Joko Widodo to change regional election legislation in their favor.
Indonesian Pentecostal Leader and Pastor Lumenta Dies At 72 (Worthy News In-Depth)
Pastor Johannis ‘John’ Hus Lumenta, the restless, dedicated secretary-general of Indonesia’s main Pentecostal denomination Gereja Pantekosta di Indonesia’ (GPdI), has died, Christians confirmed to Worthy News early Sunday.
Pakistan: Just 12 Jaranwala Rioters Facing Trial After Hundreds Arrested
One year after the devastating Islamic riot against Christians in Jaranwala, Pakistan in August last year, just 12 of the more than 300 people arrested are facing trials, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Islamic-majority Pakistan ranks 7 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Pakistan: Judge Allows Three Christian Children to Return Home After Islamic Employer Held Them Captive
A judge in Punjab Province, Pakistan has allowed three young Christian sisters to return to their parents after their employers held them captive and tried to forcibly convert them to Islam, Morning Star News reports.
India: Uttar Pradesh Police Arrested Over 1,600 People on Anti-Conversion Charges in Last Four Years
In the last four years, authorities in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state arrested 1,682, people under an extreme anti-conversion law designed to suppress non-Hindu religious freedom, the International Christian Concern (ICC) advocacy organization reports.
Attacked Pakistani Christian Widow Detained For Blasphemy
Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab province remained concerned Sunday after a Muslim mob reportedly tried to kill a Christian mother of two accused of blasphemy while also targeting her sister.
Afghanistan: The Church Is In a “Precarious” Position on Third Anniversary of Taliban Takeover
The Islamic extremist Taliban have been in power in Afghanistan for three years (since the US withdrawal in August 2021), and the Afghan church is in a “precarious” position, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Burma Releases Jailed Church Leader
A prominent church leader in military-ruled Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been released by local authorities while serving a lengthy prison sentence for allegedly violating the Asian nation’s controversial anti-terrorism legislation, Worthy News established Wednesday.
Laos Pastor Killed Amid Mounting Anti-Christian Sentiments
Christian investigators say they are concerned about a series of attacks against Christians in Laos, including the recent killing of a pastor and the earlier murder of another church leader.
Pakistan: Christian Mother Brutally Attacked for Alleged Desecration of Quran
Residents of Punjab Province, Pakistan have reported that a mob of Muslims attacked and tried to kill a young Christian mother-of-two whom they accused of harming Islamic sentiments earlier this month, Morning Star News reports.
300 American Christian Leaders Call on US Government to Help Persecuted Believers in India
More than 300 American Christian clergy and lay leaders have publicly called on the United States government to take action in holding the government of India accountable for ongoing, chronic human rights abuses against Indian Christians at the hands of Hindu nationalists.
Vietnam: Christians Raise Concerns About Country’s New President
Christian advocates have expressed concern that the August 3 election of communist President To Lam as Vietnam’s new leader will make life more difficult for Vietnamese believers. Even before Lam’s election, Communist-ruled Buddhist-majority Vietnam ranked 35 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.