India: Assam State Lawmakers Seek To Ban Christian Prayer For Healing
In an effort to curb evangelism, Hindu lawmakers in India’s Assam state have passed a law criminalizing “magical” prayer for healing, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
Christian Persecution – Asia
Vietnam: Government Designates As “terrorists” Two Rights Groups Which Support Christian Montagnard Community
Vietnam’s ruling Communist party has designated as terrorist organizations two human rights groups which support the country’s largely Christian Montagnard minority indigenous community, Premier Christian News (PCN) reports.
Pakistan: Court Acquits Two Christians Accused Of Blasphemy Leading To Jaranwala Riot
A court in Faisalabad, Pakistan has acquitted the two Christian men who were falsely accused of committing blasphemy offenses that led to major riot in Jaranwala on Aug.16 last year, Morning Star News reports.
Indonesia Christians Doubt Government’s Ability To Tackle Anti-Christian Groups
Devoted Indonesian Christians say they remain concerned about churches being targeted by Islamists despite government pledges to improve the situation for minority faiths in the world’s largest Muslim nation.
Indonesia: Minister Of Religion Helps Churches Obtain Permits
In a piece of welcome news for historically persecuted Christians in Indonesia, Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has requested the Directorate General to ascertain whether regional Indonesian churches have been unjustly refused building permits and to facilitate the establishment of places of worship, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Christianity is legal in Indonesia, but the Muslim-majority country has consistently blocked the establishment of churches and impeded believers’ right to express their faith.
Hope For Christian On Deathrow In Pakistan After Court Ruling, Attorney Says
An attorney in Pakistan has expressed hope for a young Christian man on death row for “blasphemy” against Islam after a court acquitted him in a case related to the same alleged incident.
Nepal: Pastor Sentenced To Jail Term For Evangelizing, “I Am Here Serving The Lord”
A pastor in Nepal is seeking to be given a fine instead of the one-year prison sentence he has received for proselytizing, despite being ordered by the Nepalese Supreme Court to begin his jail sentence pending appeal, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: 72-year-Old Christian Man Charged With Blasphemy, Faces Life In Prison
A 72-year-old Christian widower in Punjab Province, Pakistan is facing a life sentence of imprisonment after a Muslim neighbor falsely accused him of desecrating the Quran in retaliation over a property dispute, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: Christian Man Sentenced To Mandatory Life Imprisonment For Alleged Insulting Comment About Muhammad
An Additional Sessions Court in Punjab Province, Pakistan has sentenced a Christian man to life imprisonment for allegedly posting a blasphemous remark about the Islamic prophet Mohammed while using a phone that had actually been stolen from him. Fanson Shahid was convicted after being tortured into confessing to the charge, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: Supreme Court Rebukes Punjab Authorities For Inadequate Prosecution of Jaranwala Anti-Christian Rioters
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Feb. 13 rebuked the Punjab Province government for only charging 18 of the 304 Muslims who were arrested for attacking Christians during a riot in Jaranwala last summer, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
India: Two US Christians Fined $500 For Allegedly Preaching The Gospel
Authorities in India’s Assam state have fined two American Christians $500 each for allegedly violating their tourist visas by preaching the Gospel and leading people to Christ at various locations, Christian Today India (CTI) reports.
India: Hindu Extremists Violently Attack Three Members Of Christian Family Over Refusal To Renounce Christ
Hindu extremists in India’s Chhattisgarh state violently assaulted a Christian man and his father and brother last week after he refused to renounce Christ and return to Hinduism, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Christians in Chhattisgarh state have been increasingly violently targeted by Hindu extremists who, emboldened by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, are seeking to impose their version of the religion as the dominant ideology in India.
India: Hindus Attack 8 Christians in Chhattisgarh State, Indian Christians Suffering “Psychological Trauma”
Hindu extremists in India are continuing to persecute Christians in their zeal to ensure Hindu nationalism is the dominant ideology in this vast country: in a recent incident, a mob of Hindus in Chhattisgarh state attacked and hospitalized eight Christians who were on their way home from their weekly house church meeting, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Pakistan: Christian Homes Firebombed By Muslims Over Voting In General Election
Christians in Punjab Province, Pakistan, last Monday had fire bombs thrown and gunshots fired at their homes by Muslim extremists enraged that they had voted for an opposing political party in the Feb. 8 general election, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
India: Hindu Group Demands Removal Of All Christian Symbols From Schools in Assam State
A Hindu rights organization in India’s Assam state is demanding the removal of all Christian symbols from local Christian schools on the grounds that missionaries must be prevented from evangelizing pupils, UCA News reports.
Pakistan: Islamic Gunmen Slaughter 14-Year Old Christian Boy Saying “No Christian Should Be Left Alive Here”
Screaming that no Christian in the area should be left alive, Islamic gunmen in Punjab Province, Pakistan, murdered a 14-year-old Christian boy during an attack in a marketplace on Feb. 5, Morning News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: Islamic Man Attacks Two Christian Women With Ax, Attempts Rape
A spate of extremely violent attacks on Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab Province was manifest again when a Muslim man attacked two Christian women with an ax and attempted to rape one of them last month, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
North Korea Has Imprisoned Tens Of Thousands Of Christians In Extreme Labor Camps, Global Ministries Say
Two US Christian aid and advocacy organizations have reported that North Korea’s government is so hostile to Christians that it has imprisoned tens of thousands of believers in labor camps described as “comparable to Nazi death camps.”
India: Aid Group Assists 50 Persecuted Christian Farmers Attacked by Hindu Nationalists
The International Christian Concern (ICC) advocacy and aid organization reported this week that it has provided aid to 50 Christian farmers suffering intense Hindu nationalist persecution in India’s Chhattisgarh state.
Pakistan: Christian Brothers Tortured, Forced to Confess Allegiance to Islam or Die
Two Christian brothers in Punjab Province, Pakistan were abducted last month by Islamic extremists who brutally tortured them and ordered them to confess allegiance to Islam or be killed, the Christian Post (CP) reports.