Pakistan Acquits Christian Accused of Blasphemy
Anwer Masih was acquitted in Lahore last month by a Judicial Magistrate’s Court, making him the first Pakistani Christian ever acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan’s lower courts.
Christian Persecution
China’s New Religious Law Promises Little Change
China has announced a new law, which comes into effect on March 1, governing the freedom of religion.
Egypt Puts Christian Director of Girls’ Home on Trial
The Egyptian Christian director of a home for troubled Coptic girls goes on trial January 16 on criminal charges before Cairo’s Abbassiya Criminal Court No. 15.
Vietnam’s Imprisoned Mennonites Appeal to People’s Supreme Court
Sources in Vietnam have informed Compass that the People’s Supreme Court in Ho Chi Minh City will hear the appeals of the Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach on February 2. This represents the final appeal option available to the defendants; however, the high court has virtually never reversed a lower court decision.
Paris Church Will Go to Court for Right to Worship
Representatives of the Paris Elim Church will be going to court in order to continue worshipping in their current location. Paris Elim church representatives are going to be in court on Wednesday, January 19 and Friday, January 28, 2005.
Christians Experience Tragedy, Miracles in Disaster
Stories are coming in to Christian Aid from missionaries in South Asia of how believers have been affected by-and in some cases miraculously spared from-the tsunami tragedy.
Sixty More Evangelical Christians Jailed in Eritrea
Sixty members of the Rema Charismatic Church in the Eritrean capital of Asmara have been arrested and jailed for holding a New Year’s Eve celebration in the home of one of their church leaders.
Gospel for Asia Responds to Deadly Tsunami
Gospel for Asia workers are rushing food, clothing, medical supplies-and the love of God-to millions of Asians still in deep shock from a disaster spawned by the most powerful earthquake in 40 years.
Indonesia Orders Tighter Security for Churches this Christmas
Police in Indonesia pledged today to provide tighter security for churches during Christmas and New Year celebrations, after one of their own was arrested in connection with the murder of a Christian village chief on the island of Sulawesi.
Christian School in India Censured for Distributing Bibles
A Hindu fundamentalist group has accused a Christian school in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, of forcibly distributing copies of the New Testament to students with intent to convert them.
Nigerian Student Murdered in Clash over Evangelism
Opposition to Christian evangelism on the campuses of two Nigerian institutions of higher learning has resulted in the murder of Sunday Nache Achi, a fourth-year architectural student at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in the northern city of Bauchi.
Two Indonesian Churches Attacked, Three People Injured
Assailants simultaneously attacked two churches in the town of Palu, Central Sulawesi, during church services on Sunday night, injuring at least three people.
Indian Hindus Build Temple on Church Property
Hindu villagers have constructed a temple on the grounds of St. John’s Church of England in Jatni in the eastern state of Orissa, India, triggering a knotty battle over the rights of minority Christians.
Indonesian Pastor Kidnapped, Still Missing
Villagers on a small Indonesian island who recently joined a search for their missing pastor found only a red T-shirt with three bullet holes in it, lying on the beach near his home.
Buddhist Monks in Sri Lanka Threaten to ‘Fast Unto Death’
Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have declared a “fast unto death” beginning December 12 if the government does not concede to a proposed constitutional amendment and the adoption of anti-conversion laws.
Thugs Attack Christian Publisher in Ukraine
A brutal attack on a Christian book publisher in Ukraine has underscored the high stakes struggle over human rights and religious liberty in the former Soviet republic preparing for a re-run of a sharply contested presidential election.
Churches Attacked in Sri Lanka While Extremists Aim to Make Buddhism the State Religion
The ‘Believers’ Church’ in the village of Kammalawa in Kuliyapitiya came under attack on December 2. At about 5pm more than 100 people arrived at the church in western Sri Lanka and told the pastor to stop holding worship services.
Two Killed in Nigeria as Muslim Militants Attack Evangelists
Police authorities have arrested 10 Muslim militants in Dutse, the capital of the state of Jigawa in northern Nigeria, for perpetrating an attack on a team of Christian evangelists on Tuesday, November 23. The incident reportedly caused two deaths and left at least 20 people with injuries.
Colombian Pastor Dies in Bomb Explosion
Javier Segura, the 31-year-old pastor of a Mennonite church located in the La Victoria neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia, died instantly Sunday night, November 28, when a bomb detonated outside a public building near downtown Bogotá. The minister was the only fatality in the 10 p.m. terrorist attack in which six other people suffered injuries.
Religious Minorities in Kosovo Fear Their Freedom Will Be Seriously Hindered by Draft Law
Religious minorities and the Kosovo office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are seriously concerned by a draft religion law being discussed by Kosovo’s government.