Iraq: Christians Targeted in Baghdad
For one man, the release of eight kidnapped Christians from his hometown of Qaraqosh on Friday (June 22) was bittersweet.
Christian Persecution
Injured Pakistani Christians talk about Muslim attack
Describing an attack launched by Muslim residents of a Pakistani village in the province of Punjab, the Christian residents have said that Muslim residents mounted the attack in a bid to force them to cancel an Salvation Army evangelistic convention that was scheduled for June 17th.
Vietnam: Ethnic Christian Dies from Torture Injuries
A young Hroi ethnic minority man who refused to recant his Christian faith died from injuries received while under official interrogation, Compass confirmed as Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet met with U.S. officials. Triet met with President Bush in Washington, D.C. on Friday (June 22) amid some protests over Vietnam’s human rights violations.
Indonesian Christians Face Up To 20 Years Imprisonment Amid House Church Attacks
Seventeen Christians charged under Indonesia’s controversial anti-terror laws still faced an uncertain future Tuesday, June 26, just days after prosecutors demanded 15-to 20-year prison sentences.
Persecuted Indian Christians Appeal For Help At Gathering
Christians across India on Sunday, June 24, attended church services Sunday, June 24, following what organizers described as the “largest gathering of victims of religious persecution” in recent years.
Indonesia: Muslim Radicals Threaten House Churches
Muslim extremists demonstrating on June 14 in West Java threatened to close down churches operating in private homes, and a pastor on Sunday (June 17) received an anonymous letter promising to destroy his home if it is “still functioning as a church.”
Government Demolishes Church in Malaysia
The Malaysian Government has apparently demolished a Christian church building in an Orang Asli settlement in Gua Musang in Ulu Kelantan on June 4, according to Salem Voice Ministries News Service.
Pakistan: Mob Assaults Christians with Axes, Guns
Christian families fled a Pakistani village in Punjab province this week after an armed mob injured Protestants preparing for an evangelistic meeting, the victims’ lawyer said.
Burma Military Government Prepares Massive Arrests Christians, Report Suggests
Christian rights workers warned Wednesday, June 20, that the military government in Burma is preparing a major assault on individual believers, missionary workers and church leaders by compiling a list of Christians in the country and threatening a publisher with years of imprisonment.
Eight Assyrian students, teachers kidnapped in northern Iraq
An unidentified armed group kidnapped eight Assyrian Christian students and teachers returning home to the Nineveh Plain from Mosul University Wednesday afternoon.
Uzbekistan Church Closes Because of Official Pressure
A Pentecostal Full Gospel congregation in Uzbekistan has decided to close down and halt all its activities in the wake of official pressure.
Pastors Attacked, Missionary “Kidnapped” in India, Investigators Say
A pastor who was beaten by suspected Hindu militants and prevented from holding church services by local police was to face a court in the Indian state of Karnataka Tuesday, June 19, in a case that underscored growing concern about attacks against church leaders and missionaries.
Egypt: Mobs Attack Churches Near Alexandria
Muslim rioters attacked two Coptic Orthodox churches, damaged Christian-owned shops and injured seven Christians in two unrelated incidents in northern Egypt during the past week, local Christians said.
Eritrea Christians Missing After Mass Detentions, Investigators Say
Twenty Christians, including young children, were reportedly still missing Wednesday, June 13, more than two weeks after being detained by Eritrean security forces for allegedly attending a prayer meeting of a banned independent church.
Lebanon Christians Fear Civil War As Anti-Syrian Legislator Is Assassinated
Lebanese Christians, already shaken by several bombings, faced the prospect of civil war Wednesday, June 13, as officials confirmed that a key anti-Syrian legislator and nine others were killed in an explosion in Beirut, apparently from a bomb-rigged car.
Imprisoned pastor transferred to harsher camp in Uzbekistan
After twice being punished in the isolation cell in his open work camp near Tashkent, imprisoned Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov is being transferred to a harsher labor camp to serve the rest of his punishment.
India: Hindu Mob Beats, Strips, Parades Pastor
A mob of Hindu extremists on Friday (June 8) beat a pastor and tried to set him on fire before parading him naked in the suburbs of Bangalore, capital of Karnataka state.
India Christian Workers Murdered Amid Spreading Anti-Christian Violence
Active Christians in rural areas of India, including pastors and evangelists, faced another potentially dangerous day Monday, June 11, after reports that two Christian workers were killed by suspected militants in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh while elsewhere Hindu extremists threatened to burn alive church leaders.
Indonesian Sunday School Teachers Released From Prison After Two Years
Three Indonesian women who were serving a prison sentence for including Muslim children in a church program in West Java, Indonesia, were released early Friday, June 8, amid international pressure, BosNewsLife learned.
Philippines’ Seminarian Stabbed To Death
A tense calm returned Saturday, June 9, to the Galas district of the Philippines’ Quezon City after a seminarian was stabbed to death there by a lone assailant, police said.