Chinese police detained and tortured a key official of an umbrella group representing the rapidly growing underground house churches in China, as part of a Christmas season crackdown on devoted Christians, an advocacy group with close knowledge about the situation said Wednesday, December 19.
Tensions remained high Saturday, December 15, in Nigeria’s north-eastern city of Bauchi after up to 10 people were killed, 30 critically injured and three churches reportedly set on fire in clashes between Muslim and Christian communities, BosNewsLife monitored.
Ten persons have been killed and three churches set on fire after Muslim high school students in this northern Nigerian city began a rampage on Tuesday (December 11) that spilled into the city. Today tensions were still high in the area.
Indonesian security forces have prevented an attack by about 50 Muslim militants on the troubled Pasundan Christian Church in West Java Province, the second act of violence against the Protestant congregation in two weeks, a well-informed Christian rights group said Thursday, December 13.
A search continued Thursday, December 13, for the General Secretary of the Churches of Pakistan, Dr. Rejinald Humayun, who was kidnapped last week following clashes in the country involving Islamic militants that killed at least three Christians.
At least 150 house church pastors were believed to be behind bars Tuesday, December 11, after Chinese security forces broke up a Christian meeting in China’s Shandong Province, fellow believers said.
An advocacy group representing churches and mission organizations says Hindu militants backed by political parties and groups have carried out at least 500 attacks against mainly Christian missionaries in the past 23 months, and urged the central government to halt the violence.
Two Baptist pastors in two neighboring former Soviet republics faced detention and deportation Tuesday, December 4, amid an increased crackdown on evangelical churches in the region, BosNewsLife learned.
A British teacher was on her way home Monday, December 3, after being released in Sudan where she was sentenced to 15 days in prison for letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Attacking the house of a Baptist pastor and protesting the presence of a Catholic temple, radical Muslim groups got authorities to close down two churches in the past two weeks.
Without discussion or compensation, the Kano state government has unilaterally decided to demolish four churches in this city to make way for roads and a hospital.
Pakistani Christians have played a prominent role in the struggle against harsh emergency laws established by the country’s president this month. And many of have paid the price.
About 40 leaders of one of China’s largest house church groups have been detained while at least one pastor received a prison term for writing and distributing Christian publications among Muslims, a major advocacy organization said Wednesday, November 28.
Police detained an Egyptian convert to Christianity on her wedding anniversary in Upper Egypt last week, her husband said.
A mob allegedly led by a Hindu extremist group demolished a house church and beat the pastor and believers on November 19 in Chhattisgarh state’s Bastar district. The following day, a young relative of the pastor allegedly kidnapped by the extremists was found dead in a nearby jungle.
Hundreds of Muslim militants stormed and destroyed a Protestant church in Indonesia’s province of West Java amid growing religious tensions in the region, a Netherlands-based Christian rights group reported Tuesday, November 27.
Two Indian evangelical pastors were free on bail Tuesday, November 27, after being detained over the weekend for allegedly “forcing” Hindus to accept Christianity, amid reports that India’s most influential Hindu organization has stepped up efforts to crackdown on devoted Christians.
Christians said violence over elections in the Sumaila area this month included a strong religious element, with Muslims killing one Christian in an attack on a Christian settlement.
A Baptist pastor in Turkmenistan who was released after spending eights months of a three-year labor camp sentence faced new problems Sunday, November 25, amid pressure from authorities to stop his worship services.
An evangelical pastor and several other human rights workers have been detained in Cuba shortly after security forces broke up a meeting commemorating political prisoners in the capital Havana, BosNewsLife learned from activists Saturday, November 24.