A senior evangelical pastor and his wife are spending Christmas behind bars in southern Iran after security forces raided their Assemblies of God-affiliated church, detaining everyone in the building, including children attending Sunday School, a friend of the couple told Worthy News.
Saudi police arrested 42 Ethiopian Christians attending a prayer meeting in Jeddah Thursday.
Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has to serve at least one more year in prison before he may be executed for refusing to abandon his faith in Christ and return to Islam, an official assisting him told Worthy News Thursday, December 14.
The “Jewish terrorist” who tried to murder members of an Israeli Messianic family on account of their faith has been declared fit to stand trial.
Iran has ordered three evangelical house church pastors to report to prison within a month and serve lengthy jail terms on charges linked to their Christian activities, a well-informed source told Worthy News late Tuesday, November 29.
The immigration status of thousands of Christians fleeing from persecution in Iraq are now in limbo thanks to new security measures.
Iranian officials are trying to convince an imprisoned pastor to return to Islam while he awaits word from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on whether he should be executed for converting to Christianity.
A believer of Muslim Background, Fariborz Arazm, has gone missing since his arrest last week by plain clothes security officers.
Christians in Syria need prayer during that country’s current civil turmoil; at least 2,700 people have been killed and thousands more arrested in an effort to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani learns early next week whether he will be executed for refusing to recant his faith in Jesus Christ and return to Islam, as the court needs more time to consult with the country’s leadership, trial observers told Worthy News Thursday, October 6.
Four people, three Christians and one of Turkish origin, were kidnapped on Sept. 21 according to Middle East Concern. They were returning from a hunting trip when their vehicle was stopped by armed men. The vehicle was found a short time later after it had been burned, with the bodies of the dogs inside.
Militants with suspected ties to Iranian security forces have threatened to kill nearly a dozen evangelical Christians who fled Iran unless they “repent” and return to Islam, well-informed sources told Worthy News early Sunday, October 2.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani faced tense hours early Saturday, October 1, after a government official said he should be executed for being a traitorous “Zionist” and committing “security crimes.”
Security forces on Wednesday, September 28, still searched for three Iraqi Christians, a week after they were reportedly kidnapped by suspected militants in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk.
A young pastor of Iran’s largest house church movement has told an Iranian court he will not “recant” his faith in Christ despite facing execution as early as Thursday, September 29, for abandoning Islam, church sources said.
An Iranian court has asked the pastor of one of Iran’s largest house church movements to abandon his faith in Christ and return to Islam if he wants to avoid execution, a church official told Worthy News Sunday, September 25.
Two Azeri converts from Islam were both released temporarily on $40,000 bail after appearing before two separate court hearings.
Iran on Tuesday, September 6, ordered five Iranian Christians, including a heavily pregnant woman, to report to prison on charges linked to their Christian activities, a mission group working in the region said.
Arrested on charges of blasphemy against Islam, Pastor Matthias Haghnejad is now free on bail, according to ASSIST News Service.
According to an unconfirmed report from the Farsi News Network, after almost one year in prison, Pastor Vahik Abrahamian was released Aug. 29 and has rejoined his family.