Eight House Churches Shut Down in West Java, Indonesia
Local government officials in Bandung, West Java, have ordered eight house churches in the Rancaekek Kencana housing complex to cease meeting in private homes starting last Sunday (January 15).
Christian Persecution
Egypt Rocked By Religious Violence, One Christian Killed, 12 Injured
Funeral preparations were underway Friday, January 20, where at least one Christian and a dozen others were injured when Muslim militants set fire to a Christian community center in Upper Egypt, church sources and news reports said.
India Christians Attacked, Church Destroyed Amid Hindu Conversions
Christians in several tense Indian states were weighing their options Tuesday, January 17, after churches were attacked and believers apparently pressured to return to Hinduism.
Blind Christian Dissident in Cuba Surrounded By Violent Crowds, Trapped in House
Cuba’s influential blind Christian dissident, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, was facing another tense night Monday, January 16, after government backed crowds, armed with loudspeakers, reportedly threatened to storm his house and kill everyone inside.
Uzbek Television Slanders Protestant Church
A so-called “documentary” televised regionally in Uzbekistan last summer has left entire communities convinced that a Protestant congregation is an “extremist” group worse than fundamentalist Islam.
Ethiopia Evangelist Seriously Injured After Attack, Persecution Spreads
There was concern Sunday, January 15, over the health situation of an evangelist in Ethiopia, who was nearly killed by an angry mob in the latest of a series of Muslim militant attacks against the African nation’s evangelical Christians, a religious rights group said.
The Top 10 Christian Persecution News Stories of 2005
Read the top 10 Christian Persecution News Stories of 2005 according to Compass Direct.
Pakistani Drops ‘Blasphemy’ Charge in Sangla Hill Case
A Pakistani Muslim in the Punjabi town of Sangla Hill dropped formal charges last week against a Christian he had accused of setting fire to pages of the Quran.
Cuba Shuts Down Churches Amid Controversy Over Law, Group Reports
The Communist government of Cuba has closed down at least three Protestant churches following new “harsh legislation” on house churches, a religious rights group said Monday, January 9.
Burma Army Attacks Christian Villages, 1,200 Displaced
Burmese government forces attacked villages of the Karen and Karenni people, displacing 1,200 villagers, as part of a “slow genocide” against these predominantly Christian ethnic groups, a religious rights group said late Thursday, January 5.
Itinerant House Church Pastor Murdered in Laos
In a shocking display of brutality, Aroun Voraphorn, an itinerant evangelist, pastor and father of four children, was murdered in southern Laos the week before Christmas.
Eritrea Rounds Up Leaders from Five Churches
At least 40 pastors, elders and leading laymen from five of Eritrea’s banned Protestant churches have been arrested from their homes or offices in the past two weeks in the capital of Asmara.
China Court Rejects Appeal House Church Leader
A key house church leader in China and relatives were still behind bars Thursday, December 22, after their appeal was rejected, BosNewsLife learned.
Nigerian Pastor Faces Arrest for Harboring Convert from Islam
For Pastor Zacheous Habu Bu Ngwenche, time is running out. In the next two weeks he may find himself back in police detention if he does not produce a convert from Islam abducted from his house by Muslim militants in September.
China Detains House Church Leaders
As Christmas approaches, Chinese security forces have reportedly arrested dozens of leaders of the rapidly growing house churches, BosNewsLife learned Tuesday, December 13.
Muslim Clerics Demand Hanging of ‘Quran Desecrater’
During Friday prayers last week in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Muslim clerics flanked by government officials demanded the public execution of a Christian accused of blasphemy.
India Hindu Militants Attack Churches
Two militant Hindu groups struck churches in India’s Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh states and forced some believes to bow for Hindu idols states as violence against Christians spread across the country, news reports said Tuesday, December 6.
Iranian Christians Mourn Martyred Convert
Iranian Christians are mourning the death of Ghorban Dordi Tourani, an Iranian believer assassinated two weeks ago by an unnamed group of fanatical Muslims and the first Turkmen in Iran known to have been martyred for his Christian faith.
Widespread Torture Reported in Burma’s Prisons
A major report has been published this weekend documenting for the first time the extent of the government backed torture in Burma’s jails, human rights investigators said.
Convert from Islam in India Remains on Death List
The Rev. K.K. Alavi, called “one of the bravest Christians in India,” is the son of a staunch Islamic cleric.