Catholic Villagers Attack, Vandalize Baptists
Maronite Catholics attacked a newly-built, independent Baptist church near Beirut this month, mauling churchgoers preparing to host war refugees from southern Lebanon.
Christian Persecution – Middle East
Copts Lose Homes, Freedom Over Murder Charge
Families of five jailed Christians have lost their homes northeast of Cairo after authorities persuaded them to turn over deeds to their property in exchange for what was supposed to be the release of relatives accused of murder.
Beirut Militia Fighter Killed 223 Before Christ Changed His Life
As a teenager, they trained him to kill Christians and Jews as Beirut dissolved into the chaos of civil war. Before his 17th birthday, his fellow street warriors credited him with 223 kills — mostly against rival militias. Then a missionary witnessed to him in the streets about one who could remove the bloodguilt that drenched his hands. He listened long enough to lay his guns down forever.
Iran ‘Officially’ Charges Ex-Muslim with Drug Trafficking
Seven years after Issa Motamedi Mojdehi converted from Islam to Christianity, Iranian secret police have jailed him for abandoning Islam but officially charged him with illegal drug trafficking.
Secret Documents Reveal Ethnic Cleansing of Christians in Iraq, Leader says
Secret documents show Saddam Hussein’s regime and local Kurdish leaders were involved in the “ethnic cleansing”, “gassing” and “Islamization” of Assyrian Christians in Northern Iraq, with international religious aid organizations refusing to intervene, an Assyrian official claimed Wednesday, August 4.
20 Christans Wounded in Terrorist Attacks Against Iraq Churches
At least 20 Christians were wounded in Baghdad and Mosul in the largest terrorist attacks against churches ever, reports said Sunday, August 1.
Iran: Another Believer Arrested
On 24 July, an Iranian Christian named Issa Motamadi was imprisoned on account of his faith. French internet news site VoxDei reports that Issa Motamadi, a resident of the north-western town of Resht, the capital of Gilan Province, will soon stand trial before a Revolutionary Tribunal.
Saudi Arabia Detains East Africa Christians
Two Ethiopian and two Eritrean Christians remained in a deportation jail Thursday, June 15, after Saudi Arabian police armed with wooden clubs reportedly raided a private Christian worship meeting in the coastal city of Jeddah.
Iranian Convert Pastor Released on Bail
A convert Christian jailed six weeks ago in northern Iran was released last night and reunited with his family.
Iran Christians Pray And Fast Amid New Crackdown
Christians in and outside Iran launched 40 days of prayer and fasting “for the salvation” of Iran on ‘Ascension Day’, Thursday, May 25, amid concerns over reports of a government backed crackdown on Christian converts and churches in the Islamic state.
Iran: Secret Police Arrest Long-Time Convert
An Iranian Christian who converted from Islam 33 years ago is under arrest and interrogation in northern Iran, where secret police have held him incommunicado for the past three weeks.
Egypt Orders Arrests Of Muslim Militant For Stabbing Christians
Egyptian authorities on Monday, April 17, ordered the detention of a Muslim who entered a Cairo church with a knife days after another Muslim stabbed six Christians, killing one, in Alexandria, news reports said.
Iran Lawyer Requests Early Release Pastor Pourmand
The lawyer representing Iranian Christian prisoner Hamid Pourmand has petitioned for his early release from Tehran’s Evin Prison this month, during Iran’s annual prisoners’ amnesty, a Christian news agency reported Thursday, March 9.
Bible Society Center in Gaza Temporarily Closed After Threat
The Palestinian Bible Society has temporarily closed down its center with bookshop in Gaza City after it came under a bombing threat, said its acting secretary general, Nashat Filmon.
Egypt Christian Woman “Kidnapped” by Muslim Militants, Contacts Family
There was concern Sunday, February 26, over the condition of a kidnapped young Christian women in Egypt amid reports she is being held in a Cairo apartment and forced to convert to Islam.
Iran: Christians Refugees Depart for U.S.
Facing the death penalty in their home country for converting to Christianity, an Iranian refugee family today left Turkey for the United States, where they have been accepted for resettlement.
Palestinian Christians Fear New Hamas Government
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, February 18, asked the militant group Hamas to form the next Palestinian government but warned he would not accept attacks against the Christian minority.
Lebanon Christians Attacked, Church Stoned, By Angry Muslims
Lebanon’s Interior Minister resigned late Sunday, February 5, after an estimated 20,000 angry Muslims not only torched the Danish Embassy but also attacked the Christian community in the capital Beirut over published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
Egyptian Sisters Win Christian Identity
Two young Coptic Christian women whose father had converted to Islam when they were infants have won a court battle in Egypt to retain their official religious identity as Christians.
Palestinian Militants Threaten Churches and Close EU Office Over Cartoons
Armed Islamic groups angered by cartoon drawings depicting the Prophet Muhammad in European media, threatened to attack churches and closed down the European Union Commission office in Gaza Thursday, February 2, as anger over the published caricatures spread across the Muslim world.