Indonesia Christians Face Food Shortages After Deadly Quake
Christian survivors of a massive earthquake in heavily Islamic Indonesia urgently need food, blankets, suitable tents, and other essentials, aid workers said Sunday.
Christian Persecution – Asia
India: Christians persecuted even during lockdown in 2020
The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) has reported that, even in the midst of coronavirus lockdowns affecting the whole country for months, there were over 300 incidents of religious persecution against Christians in India last year, International Christian Concern said. In its report, EFI noted that Christian persecution has more than doubled since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and his right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.
India: Hindu nationalist leader threatens violence unless local authorities shut all churches in tribal areas
A Hindu nationalist leader in India’s Madhya Pradesh state has demanded that local authorities shut down all churches in the state’s tribal areas, falsely claiming that Christians are carrying out mass conversions on “gullible indigenous peoples,” International Christian Concern reports. Head of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Azad Prem Singh threatened violent action if his January 11 demand is not met within 30 days.
Pakistan: Christian leader threatened with death for Facebook post criticizing Islam
A Christian lay leader in Pakistan was taken into police custody last month as hundreds of Muslims descended on his Lahore neighborhood threatening to kill him for sharing a post against Islam on his Facebook page, Morning Star News reports. The outraged mob also threatened to burn down homes in Raja Warris’ neighborhood in the Charar area of Lahore, causing Pakistani Christians in the community to flee for their lives.
India: First Christians arrested and jailed under anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh state
The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has charged and jailed its first Christians under a new anti-conversion law, International Christian Concern reports. A Korean Christian and three Indian nationals in the Gautam Buddh Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh were arrested under the new Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance on December 19, 2020.
Indonesia Bans Islamic Defenders Front
Christians in a movement of former Muslims and other believers welcomed a decision by Indonesia’s government to ban an Islamist group that attacked churches and other targets.
India: Christian persecution expected to intensify in 2021
A new report forecasts that Christians in India will be subject to increased persecution in 2021, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Important new report on religious persecution in North Korea: Christians are the most targeted among faith groups
A groundbreaking new study entitled “Persecuting Faith” has found that Christianity is the most persecuted faith in secretive North Korea, Christianity Today reports. Drawing on the testimonies of 117 defectors, the 2020 report was published by the Korea Future Initiative (KFI) in the hope it will inform any future human rights sanctions applied to North Korea by Western countries.
Indonesia Detains Islamic Leaders Amid Rising Extremism
Indonesian security forces have detained hardline Islamic leaders with suspected links to terrorism amid concerns among Christians about growing Islamic extremism.
India: Hindu extremists lock Pastor in room and leave him to die as punishment for sharing the Gospel
A pastor in northeast India has been rescued after a gang of radical Hindus locked him in a room and left him to die because he was distributing Gospel tracts, Morning Star News reports. Pastor Shelton Vishwanathan was accosted by six men who knocked him unconscious and imprisoned him in a room in Bihar state’s Sheohar District on October 5.
India: Tribal animists attack and hospitalize Christians at child-dedication gathering
Twenty-one Christians were taken to hospital after a large gang of tribal animists attacked a church hall and adjoining home in Chhattisgarh state, India last week, Morning Star News reports. The attackers accused the believers of influencing and converting people to Christianity. Several Christian families have gone into hiding since the attack.
South Korea Charges US Pastor Over ‘Illegal’ Bible Balloons
An American pastor has appealed for prayers after Korean authorities launched criminal proceedings against him for sending Bible balloons across the border into North Korea.
Four Christians Butchered As Terror Rocks Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi
At least four Christians were killed in a suspected Islamic terror attack on the Salvation Army church and service building in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province, local Christians told Worthy News early Saturday.
Christian ‘Blasphemy’ Girl Hiding In Pakistan After Release
A Christian girl who is suffering from the coronavirus is in hiding after a court annulled her marriage with her Muslim kidnapper, trial observers told Worthy News.
High court in India orders safe return of Christians displaced by Hindu extremists
A high court in India has ordered the district administration of Kondagaon to facilitate the safe return of Christians who were displaced from their villages by radical Hindu nationalists in Chhattisgarh state, Assist News reports. The order was issued by Bilaspur High Court on November 8.
Tensions Rise As Controversial Islamic Clerc Returns to Indonesia
Christians and moderate Muslims in Indonesia fear new tensions after a hardline Islamic cleric returned from exile and held a massive wedding despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Sri Lanka’s Pentecostal Christians Harassed
A Pentecostal congregation in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province has been told to end worship services because Buddhist monks oppose its activities, Christians said late Thursday.
Evangelical churches are a ‘beacon of hope’ for suffering people in Armenia
Writing for CBN News, Michael Cherenkov has highlighted the crucial front-line role the Evangelical church has in Armenia where, although hostilities have currently ended in a ceasefire, an ongoing humanitarian crisis is worsening. “The churches have become the beacons of hope for scared and suffering people,” Cherenkov said following his recent visit to the tiny remote country under Russian control.
Pakistan Court Gives Christian Girl, 13, To Muslim Abductor
A top regional court in Pakistan has given custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to her Muslim abductor, sources involved in the case told Worthy News late Tuesday.
Pakistan Christian Woman, Children Flee After Husband’s Death Sentence For Blasphemy
A Pakistani Christian woman and her four children have fled after her husband was sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam, well-informed Christians told Worthy News.