Indonesia: Authorities Foil Planned Suicide Bombing of Two Churches
Security officials in Indonesia have thwarted an Islamic terrorist plan to suicide bomb two church sites in East Java, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Christian Persecution – Asia
India: Dozens of Tribal Christians Forced to Return to Hinduism, “Christians Who Convert From Hinduism Are the Most Vulnerable to Persecution”
Local Hindu leaders have forced more than 100 tribal Christians in eastern India’s Odisha state to undergo a formal ceremony symbolizing a rejection of Christianity and a return to Hinduism, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Pastor Arrested on False Accusation of Bribing Hindus to Convert
A pastor in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state has been arrested by Hindu authorities who falsely accused him of bribing Hindus to become Christians, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Kerala State High Court Rules in Favor of Christians
In a rare move of encouragement for Christians in India, the High Court of the south Indian state of Kerala ruled that two young adults can have the religion cited on their official documents changed from Hindu to Christian, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Laos: Six Christians Released After a Month in Detention Without Charge
Officials in Laos are continuing to harass Christians by arresting them and then imprisoning them without charge for several weeks before releasing them. Amid intensifying persecution of Christians, the communist-led Buddhist-majority nation now ranks 21 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
India: House Church Members Violently Attacked by Hindu Extremists
Members of a house church congregation in India’s Uttarakhand state were violently attacked by a mob of around 150 Hindu extremists on July 14, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Laos: Evangelist Murdered Execution-Style, “Despite Increased Persecution, the Church is Rapidly Growing”
An evangelical pastor in Laos who had been told to cease his “Christian activities” was murdered execution-style at his home last week, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: Young Christian Man on Death Row Shows Remarkable Faith and Hope in Jesus
A young Christian man who is on death row in Punjab Province, Pakistan, for alleged blasphemy has drawn admiration from those around him for displaying such hope in Christ that he passed a high school examination with an eye to the future, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Hindu Nationalists Attack Christians in Central India, “This Hostility is Often Driven by a Belief That Indians Ought to be Hindu”
Hindu nationalists violently attacked or threatened Christians on three occasions in the same area of central India within the last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia Church Threatened With Eviction
Lutheran Christians on the outskirts of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, faced eviction from their church on Sunday, but their supporters told Worthy News they have appealed for prayers as they want to maintain a presence in this area of the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Pakistan: Young Christian Father Shot Dead in His Home by Enraged Islamic Neighbors, “Our Lives Do Not Matter”
A young Catholic father of four was murdered by his Islamist neighbors in Lahore, Pakistan last week after he objected to their harassment of Christians in the area, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Vietnam: 11 Christians Imprisoned for Their Faith Have Disappeared
Six Protestants and five Catholics in Vietnam have disappeared after being imprisoned by the ruling communist government for religious activity deemed threatening to “national unity.”
Pakistan: Islamist Abducts 14-Year-Old Christian Girl and Forces Her Into Marriage, “May God Have Mercy on Us and Save Our Child!”
A 14-year-old Catholic girl in Islamabad, Pakistan, has been kidnapped from her parents’ home by a local Islamist who forced her to “marry” him, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
India Hindus Kill Woman For Becoming Christian
A Christian woman was beaten to death with a hammer and other weapons in central India after she abandoned Hinduism and turned to faith in Christ, several sources confirmed Wednesday.
Wife-Lynched Pakistani Christian Dies Of Heart Attack
The wife of an elderly Christian who recently died of his injuries after being lynched by a Muslim mob in eastern Pakistan has also passed away following a heart attack linked to stress, Worthy News learned Wednesday.
India: Seven Christian Families Are Homeless After Eviction by Hindu Nationalists
Seven Christian families in eastern India’s Odisha state have been rendered homeless after Hindu nationalists pressured their village leaders to evict them for leaving Hinduism, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia: Islamic Social Media Campaign Stokes Hostility Over Spread of Christianity
An Islamic social media campaign has come under condemnation for using controversial statistics and statements to stir up fear and strife over the spread of Christianity in Indonesia, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
USCIRF Recommends Special Watch Status for Sri Lanka
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Jun. 27 issued a report recommending that the US State Department designate Sri Lanka as a Special Watch List country in 2023 and 2024, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Pakistan: Christian Man Sentenced to Death for Alleged Anti-Islam TikTok Post
A Christian man has been sentenced to death in Punjab Province, Pakistan for sharing allegedly hateful content against Muslims on TikTok, The Hindu reports.
Laos: Pastor and Five Other Christians Imprisoned Following Arrest During Prayer Meeting
Continuing a systemic crackdown on Christianity in Laos, authorities in Khammouane Province arrested a pastor and five other evangelical Christians on Saturday as they gathered in a home to pray for the next day’s Sunday service at their church, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.