Pakistan acquits ‘insane man’ accused of blasphemy
Pakistan has released a psychiatrically disordered man who was accused of setting alight some pages of Quran, the Muslims holy book last year, ANS has learnt.
Christian Persecution
Nigeria: Teacher on Trial After Punishing Muslim Student
A Christian high school teacher at Government College in Keffi, in the northern state of Nasarawa, is on trial for blasphemy after he disciplined a Muslim student.
Indonesia Militants Kill Protestant Pastor; Christians Urge Investigation
Leaders of Indonesia’s embattled Christian minority urged authorities Tuesday, October 17, to catch the killers of a Protestant pastor, whose church defended three Catholics before they were executed last month for alleged involvement in violence against Muslims.
Protestant Leader Assassinated In Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
News has just been received by ASSIST News Service that at around 9 am this morning (Monday, October 16, 2006), the acting head of the Protestant Church in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was assassinated. He was shot in the head on a street in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia — the same region where three Catholic Christians were recently executed.
Pakistan Teenage Girl “Mercilessly Beaten” For Christian Faith and Wearing Cross
A teenage girl was “mercilessly beaten and punished” by Muslim teachers at her school for “defending” her faith in Christ and wearing a cross, amid growing concern over violence against Christian women and girls in the Asian nation, Pakistani Christians said Friday, October 13.
“Severe Violations” Of Religious Freedom in Colombia
A new report details for the first time the extent of religious freedom violations in Colombia, including targeted assassinations of pastors or church leaders, the kidnapping or forced disappearance of at least three others, and the attempted assassination of a pastor that left more that 70 bullets embedded in his body, BosNewsLife monitored Wednesday, October 11.
India: Christians Beaten, Detained Following Media Reports
A church in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district cancelled its weekly meeting yesterday (October 10) due to tensions in the region following false reports of conversions in newspapers. The reports led to two attacks in the past week.
Iraq Priest Beheaded Over Pope Speech
Relatives of an Orthodox priest who was kidnapped and beheaded three days later said Thursday, October 12, that the captors demanded his church condemns the pope’s recent comments about Islam and pay a US$350,000 ransom.
Nigeria: Student Eight Months in Hiding after Escape from Stoning
Eight months after she escaped from a judgment by officials at a school of nursing she attended in Sokoto to stone her to death for “blasphemy,†Ladi Muhammed is still in hiding.
Egypt: Christian Girl Escapes Muslim Kidnappers
An Egyptian Christian teenager escaped her Muslim kidnappers last week hours after they had drugged her on a public bus. While holding her captive, they threatened to rape her and convert her to Islam if her family did not leave their Nile Delta city of El-Mahala el-Kobra.
Pakistan’s Longest Held Christian Prisoner “Feels Forgotten” By Church
One of Pakistan’s longest held Christian prisoners faced another uphill battle Saturday, October 7 as he “feels forgotten by the Church,” amid alleged pressure by fellow inmates to covert to Islam and health problems, friends and investigators told BosNewsLife.
Iran: Christian Couple Released on Bail
After nine days in secret police custody, Reza Montazami and his wife, Fereshteh Dibaj, were released on bail this morning by order of a Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, Iran.
Philippines Bishop Murdered Amid Concerns Over Military Death Squads
There was concern about the Philippines’ security forces Wednesday, October 4, after a bishop of the Philippine Independent Church and a known human rights campaigner, was found dead with stab wounds at his office in a town north of the capital, Manila.
India: Political Fears Spurs Anti-Christian Violence
Growth in the incidence of violence against Christians in India this year is rooted largely in the political insecurity of Hindu nationalists, sources say.
India: Christians Attacked, Charged with Attempted Murder
Seven Christians working with the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) in India’s Gujarat state were released on bail this morning. The group was charged with attempted murder after Hindu extremists waylaid and assaulted them last week.
International Concern Over India State Anti Conversion Law; Missionaries Attacked
Christian investigators on Monday, October 2, urged the international community to pressure the government of the Indian state of Gujarat to respect religious freedom following the adoption of controversial legislation and attacks against missionaries there.
Vietnam Pastor Beheaded After Refusing To Halt Church Services, Friends Say
An influential Vietnamese evangelical pastor and evangelist has been beheaded after he refused to halt his massive church services, his friends said Saturday, September 30.
Iran Detains Daughter Of Executed Pastor And Her Husband, Report
Iran’s feared secret police have detained a Christian couple in the northeastern city of Mashhad, forcing them to leave behind their 6-year-old daughter, a Christian news agency reported late Friday, September 29.
Attacks on Somali Christian Refugees in Kenya
Somali Christian refugees in Kenya continue to face increasing attacks from Somali groups and struggle to receive adequate assistance to survive, according to reports received by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Violence Against Christians Increases In Iraq, Several Killed
Islamic violence against Iraq’s Christian minority has increased in recent days killing at least two people, as the Muslim month of “Ramadan and statements [about Islam] from Pope Benedict XVI have ignited an explosive atmosphere,” well-informed religious rights investigators said Thursday, September 28.