Pakistan Detains Five Over Shooting Christians
At least five people were believed to be in Pakistani police custody Monday over the Christmas Day shooting of Christians in Pakistan.
Christian Persecution – Asia
Christians Killed In Vietnam; Meetings Raided
Christian workers in Vietnam say believers in the Communist-run Asian nation experience “severe persecution,” including violent attacks on church services that killed a Christian leader and his wife and injured a pastor.
India: Christian Couple Released on Bail Amid Surge in Persecution
Amid a surge in persecution against Christians in India, believers are rejoicing that a pastor and his wife were released on bail after 20 months in prison on false charges of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity, Global Christian Relief (GCR) reports.
India: Christian Woman Stripped and Brutalized by Hindu Nationalists on Boxing Day
A Christian woman in India’s Odisha state is recovering after she was stripped naked and brutalized until she blacked out by Hindu nationalists enraged at her faith in Christ, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
India Christians Reeling From Attacks (Worthy News Focus)
Nearly 400 Christian leaders and 30 church groups have urged India’s government to defend the Christian minority after hundreds of attacks against Christians, including more than a dozen around Christmas.
Indonesia Muslims Rally Against Church Construction (Worthy News Investigation)
Muslims have threatened massive protests against the construction of a Catholic church in Indonesia’s West Java Province in the latest standoff over Christian worship in the world’s largest Muslim country.
Shooting Kills Christian Mother In Pakistan; Daughter Injured
A Christian mother was killed and her teenage daughter critically injured after being shot in Pakistan’s city of Gujranwala by suspected Muslims who condemned their faith in Christ, well-informed sources told Worthy News.
Christian Farmer Murdered in Pakistan (Worthy News Exclusive)
Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab province are mourning Suleman Masih, a 25-year-old Christian farmer, who they say was “brutally murdered” by “Muslim landlords” on New Year’s Day.
Pastors Shot In Vietnam Amid Crackdown
A pastor in Vietnam’s Central Highlands was recovering from his injuries Thursday after being shot in his left knee with a rubber bullet while riding a motorbike home, Worthy News learned.
India: Hindu Nationalists Attack Christians Across India During Christmas Season
Amid an ongoing surge in the persecution of Christians in India by Hindu nationalists, Hindu extremists carried out violent assaults against believers celebrating Christmas in many states across the country last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Christian Group Calls For Government Inquiry Into Unprecedented Level of Persecution Against Believers
The United Christian Forum (UCF) has called on India’s Hindu nationalist-led government to open a national inquiry into the exponential surge in incidents of violence against Christians in the country, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Sri Lanka: Evangelicals Warn Government Proposal May Restrict Religious Freedom
A national evangelical association in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka has raised concerns that a new government proposal may restrict freedom of religion or belief for minority faith groups in the country if enacted, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.
Pakistan: Middle-Aged Christian Woman Jailed for Blasphemy
A 50-year-old Christian woman in Punjab Province, Pakistan has been jailed after being charged with committing blasphemy by allegedly burning books containing Islamic scripture, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: Hope for Christian Youth Jailed on Blasphemy Charges
A 17-year-old Christian youth who is incarcerated in Punjab Province, Pakistan has been granted bail in one of three cases against him of blasphemy – although he will remain in prison over Christmas because of the remaining two cases, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Vietnam: Christians Arrested Ahead of Christmas, “Following Jesus Can Bring Intense Hostility”
Multiple ethnic Montagnard Christian leaders in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region were arrested on December 21 after they began preparing to celebrate Christmas and led congregations in unauthorized worship services, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Hundreds of Christians Flee Papua Violence
Hundreds of displaced Christian residents will likely celebrate Christmas outside their homes in an area of Indonesia’s conflict-stricken easternmost Papua province unless Indonesian security forces withdraw there, a bishop says.
Pakistan: Young Christian Girl Escapes From Man Who Forced Her to Marry Him
A Christian family in Pakistan’s Sindh Province is rejoicing over the return of their 15-year-old daughter after she escaped from the Islamist who abducted her and forced her to marry him earlier this year, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Vietnam: Two House Church Pastors Wounded in Separate Shooting Incidents
Two house church pastors in Vietnam have been wounded in separate shooting incidents they each believe are connected to their congregations not not being registered with the Vietnamese communist government, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Rajasthan Set to Pass Anti-Conversion Law, “Formidable and Controversial”
In a move that appears to violate India’s constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion, the Hindu-nationalist-led state of Rajasthan has approved an anti-conversion law that provides prison terms for anyone who “unduly influences” a person to change their religion and requires citizens who want to change their faith to inform authorities 60 days in advance, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Nepal Experiences Growing Interest in Christianity
While converts to Christianity in Nepal are vulnerable to persecution from radical Hindu groups and from within their own indigenous communities, positive reports are emerging of the Gospel’s advancement in the isolated mountainous country. There are now 1.3 million Christians in Nepal, 4.4% of a population of 30.5 million, and that number is reportedly growing.