American churches and mission groups are preparing to bring millions of Bibles and other Christian literature into Iran despite the ongoing war in the region, Christians familiar with the plans say.
An Iranian Christian convert who fled a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in early January says he plans to return to his homeland as a fighter, underscoring growing concerns over the safety of minority Christians amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
Families and friends of scores of Christians held in Iranian prisons have requested prayers as “concerns for their well-being grow and communication has all but ceased” amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, Christians told Worthy News Thursday.
Christian advocacy groups have expressed alarm over what they describe as a sharp rise in arrests and mistreatment of Christians in Iran, particularly converts, accusing the Islamic Republic of increasingly using national security laws to suppress religious dissent.
Iran’s Islamic rulers have jailed more Christians amid a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that a network of Iranian doctors says has killed up to 18,000 people.
There was mounting concern Thursday about the plight of Christians still staying in war-torn Syria after fighting escalated in the northern city of Aleppo, killing several people and prompting tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, marked its first Christmas celebrations since a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas, though concern lingered among Christians following an arson attack near a church elsewhere in the West Bank.
Minority Christians in Palestinian territories faced a tense Christmas after church officials confirmed that “an arson attack” damaged a Christmas tree and a Nativity grotto at the Holy Redeemer Church in Jenin.
Five Iranian Christians have been sentenced to a combined 55 years in prison amid a broader crackdown on devout Christian believers in Iran, a strict Islamic nation, sources told Worthy News Thursday.
Despite Christmas approaching, many Christians in Syria aren’t in a celebratory mood one year after the toppling of longtime autocratic President Bashar al-Assad, investigations reveal.
The burial of a 19-year-old girl killed in a June bombing at the Mar Elias Church in Syria’s capital Damascus has become a stark symbol of the “ethno-religious cleansing” facing Syria’s ancient Christian community, a Swedish investigative journalist told U.S. officials.
More than 50 prominent Christian leaders are calling on President Trump to directly confront Syria’s new president about the ongoing persecution of religious minorities when the two leaders meet Monday at the White House, marking a historic first for U.S.-Syria relations.
A Protestant pastor in Kyrgyzstan who was reportedly tortured by secret police has suffered traumatic brain injuries and lasting cognitive impairment, according to his family, doctors, and United Nations experts cited by rights monitors.
Iran has detained dozens of Christians on charges of espionage and “anti-security activities” for Israel, drawing condemnation from rights groups who call the move part of a broader crackdown on the country’s tiny Christian minority.
An evangelical pastor who spent two years under house arrest in Iran for his Christian faith has urged U.S. President Donald J. Trump to halt the deportation of Iranian Christians, warning they could face imprisonment or even execution for abandoning Islam.
Iranian Christian convert Mehran Shamlooei was arrested on July 3 upon arrival at Mashhad International Airport after being deported from Turkey, where he had sought refuge to avoid serving a harsh prison sentence handed down for his faith.
A devastating plea for prayer has emerged from Lebanon as Pastor Chady El Aouad of Abundant Life Church in Beirut confirmed the martyrdom of a fellow minister and over 20 of his family members amid the violent upheaval in Suweida, Syria. Pastor Khaled Mezhir, leader of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Suweida, was reportedly killed along with his wife, parents, and extended family during fierce fighting between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin factions in the war-torn southern province.
The U.S. government’s watchdog investigating persecution of Christians and other religious groups has warned that allies of Syria’s government and other groups continue their deadly crackdown on Christians and other minorities, including Druze and Shia Muslims.
Syria’s top Christian leader has blamed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government for a deadly church blast on Sunday that killed dozens, while fellow persecuted Christians also expressed their sorrow.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria has condemned Sunday’s attack at a church on the outskirts of Damascus that killed at least 20 people as a “heinous crime”.