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.
Christian Persecution
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.
Egypt Releases Christian Convert From Islam, report
Egyptian authorities have released a Christian convert from Islam who had been jailed without charges under Egypt’s controversial emergency laws for the past two years, a Christian news agency reported Thursday, May 24.
India: Dalit Christians Hopeful of Winning Rights
A report of an advisory panel favoring affirmative action benefits for Dalit converts to Christianity has raised the hopes of India’s 16 million lowest-caste believers as they await a Supreme Court hearing in July.
Gaza Christians Trapped In Houses Amid Palestinian Violence And Air Strikes
As night fell, “hungry” and “frightened” Christians remained trapped in their houses in Gaza on Monday, May 21, as rival Palestinian factions continued their battles while Israel increased air strikes against militants, a Christian aid group said.
Nigeria Native Missionaries Rebuilding After Violent Storm In Tense Region
Native Christian missionaries in one of the most remote and religiously tense areas of Nigeria continued their activities Friday, May 18, amid reports that a violent storm destroyed an entire community.
China Releases House Church Leaders Following International Pressure
Five house church leaders were free Saturday, May 19, following their release from prison in China’s Xinjiang province amid “intensive diplomacy and media pressure”, human rights investigators said.
Egypt Militants Detained After Attacks On Christian Homes And Shops
Dozens of suspected Muslim militants were said to remain in custody Monday, May 14, after Egyptian security forces arrested them over the weekend on charges of setting fire to Christian homes and shops in clashes over church construction.
Vietnam Detains And “Tortures” Four Montagnard Christians, Group Says
Four Degar Montagnard Christians remained imprisoned in Vietnam’s Central Highlands Tuesday, May 15, after they were arrested for collecting names for a statement which denies the growing house church movement of Degar Montagnards seeks independence from Vietnam, fellow believers told BosNewsLife.
India: Anti-Conversion Bill Expected in Eighth State
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to enact an anti-conversion law in the northern state of Uttarakhand, as it promised during its election campaign in February.
Pakistan Christian Converts Could Face Death Penalty For Leaving Islam
A key human rights group in Pakistan has expressed “grave concern” over government plans to introduce an anti-apostasy law under which those leaving Islam, including Christian coverts, could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.