India: Extremists Step Up Efforts for ‘Hindu Nation’
Televised attacks on Christian workers and a spurt in persecution in various parts of the country point to a renewed attempt to win support for Hindu nationalistic goals, Christians say.
Christian Persecution
Vietnam Police “Publicly” Torture And Kill Degar Montagnard Christians To Warn House Churches
Police in Vietnam publicly torture and kill Degar Montagnard Christians in the country’s Central Highlands as a warning to house churches to stop their activities, a major advocacy group alleged Wednesday, June 6.
Sri Lanka: Christians Arrested for Destruction of Statues
A pastor and two associates from Mt. Carmel Theological College in Kandy, Sri Lanka, were arrested on May 27 and charged with destroying Buddhist statues.
Iraqi Christians Mourn Deaths Of Priest And Other Believers
Iraqi Christians are mourning the deaths of a Catholic priest and his three assistants who were gunned down by Islamic militants over the weekend, shortly after another Christian couple working for the US embassy was reportedly killed, BosNewsLife established Tuesday, June 5.
India Militants Threaten To Kill Missionary And To Harm Evangelicals
Suspected Hindu militants have threatened to kill a native missionary and to attack dozens of evangelical Christians in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a major mission group has said.
Extremists Disrupt Christian Meeting in Mumbai Slum
Marching to the front of an evangelistic service, about 50 religious extremists–most of them women–forcefully attempted to disrupt the meeting. The extremists snatched the microphone from the speaker’s hands and began shouting anti-Christian remarks through the sound system.
Mexico: Christians in Chiapas Town Deprived of Water
More than five weeks after town bosses in Chiapas state, Mexico, signed an agreement to restore water lines cut off from Christians since January, the Protestants still rely on dirty, distant wells and puddles for washing and drinking.
India Police Detain 4,000 Christians
Indian police detained at least 4,000 Christians from across the country in the largest such operation in a decade, a major human rights group and Indian Christian leaders said Wednesday, May 30.
Pakistan Sentences Christian To Death For “Blasphemy” Against Islam
A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian man, Younis Masih, to death on charges of blasphemy against Islam and its Prophet Muhammad, an official involved in the case confirmed to BosNewsLife Thursday, May 31.
Malaysia Court To Make Historic Religious Rights Ruling
Malaysia’s highest court was due to hand down on Wednesday, May 30, a historic ruling that observers said could have ramifications for Muslims who want to renounce their faith.
Malaysia’s Christian Joy Loses Islam Conversion Case
Malaysia’s best known Christian convert, Lina Joy, on Wednesday, May 30, lost her six-year battle to be recognized as a Christian in a landmark case that tested the limits of religious freedom in this mainly Muslim nation.
Pakistan Releases Elderly Christian On Bail In Blasphemy Trial
An 84-year-old Pakistani Christian who faced the death penalty on charges of blasphemy was released on bail Tuesday, May 29, and rushed to a secret location, officials defending him told BosNewsLife.
Belarus Christians Search For Worship Places After Police Raid Pentecostal Church
Embattled Protestant communities in Belarus on Tuesday, May 29, continued to search for locations to worship after special police raided a Pentecost service of a Pentecostal Church in the capital Minsk, local Christians and rights investigators said.
Cuban Influential Christian Prisoner Suffering Of Tuberculosis
An influential Christian Cuban “prisoner of conscience” remained behind bars Pentecost Sunday, May 27, despite suffering of tuberculosis in the Kilo 7 Prison in the province of Camaguey, dissidents told BosNewsLife.
Vietnam Police Kill Christian Prisoners And Relatives, Investigators Say
Vietnamese security forces have tortured and killed at least two Christian Degar Montagnards in Vietnam’s Central Highlands in recent months and allegedly murdered relatives of religious prisoners, representatives said Monday, May 28.
Pastor attacked in Karnataka, India
Anti-Christian activists from two Hindu radical groups — Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal — attacked a Pastor and an elder of a church in Bangarpet in Kolar district of Karnataka on May 21 2007 for distributing gifts at a VBS (Vacation Bible School).
Pentecostal believers raided on Pentecost Sunday in Belarus church
Ten state officials raided the Pentecost service of John the Baptist Pentecostal Church in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, yesterday (May 27). Pastor Antoni Bokun was arrested, held overnight at a police station and fined 20 times the minimum monthly wage today (May 28) for holding an “unsanctioned mass meeting.”
Sudan’s Darfur Christians Struggling To Receive Aid As Violence Intensifies
There are concerns that minority Christians in Sudan’s volatile western region of Darfur do not receive aid because of discrimination, but aid groups cannot speak openly about the humanitarian situation for fear of jeopardizing their work or being expelled, BosNewsLife established Saturday, May 26.
North Africa “Underground” Christians And Missionaries Face Death Threats
Hundreds of indigenous missionaries and other believers in North Africa’s expanding underground churches are “constantly in danger of persecution, imprisonment, and death,” amid Muslim extremism in the region, a mission group said Friday, May 25.
Elderly Christian Faces Execution In Pakistan; Trial Underway
The trial of an 84-year old Christian accused of blasphemy was to start Saturday, May 26, amid fears he could face the death penalty, the group defending him told BosNewsLife.