Fate of Kidnapped Colombian Pastor Still Unknown
Jorge Enrique Gómez Montealegre has prayed for years for Colombia’s guerrillas to lay down their arms and surrender to Christ. His family believes that now he’s preaching to them.
Christian Persecution
Christian Youth Workers Slain In Columbia; “Wage Peace” Campaign at Critical Stage
As a result of continued escalating violence, Open Doors USA President and CEO, Terry Madison, is urging Christians around the world to join in the “Wage Peace Upon Colombia” prayer campaign on July 28.
Christian Uzbek Pastor Marks One Year in Prison
ISTANBUL, March 6 (Compass) — A Christian Uzbek pastor jailed since February 1999 on contrived fraud charges is being subjected to physical beatings for witnessing to his cellmates, church sources in the Central Asian republic reported in early March.
Coptic Priest Killed In An ‘Accident’
Mystery still surrounds a car accident, which resulted in the killing of a Coptic priest and three of his relatives in El Menya governorat. This morning, March 5/ 2001, a car accident caused the death of Father Antonios Zaki Ghobrial and three of his relatives.
Turkmenistan: Authorities Strip Closed Baptist Church Bare
ASHGABAD, TURKENISTAN (March 4, 2001) — The authorities of the Niyazov district of the Turkmen capital Ashgabad broke their own seals on the doors of the city’s Baptist church on 2 March and confiscated everything inside. The move was timed on the last working day before nearly a week of public holidays in the country.
Turkmenistan: Authorities Strip Closed Baptist Church Bare
The authorities of the Niyazov district of the Turkmen capital Ashgabad broke their own seals on the doors of the city’s Baptist church on 2 March and confiscated everything inside. The move was timed on the last working day before nearly a week of public holidays in the country. Keston News Service has been able to find no Turkmen local or national government official prepared to discuss why the contents of the country’s last Baptist church have been carted away in several lorry loads, despite repeated telephone calls.
Panel examining Indonesian persecution hears Christian prof, Muslim leader
Sharply different perspectives on religious persecution in Indonesia have been laid before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Nigerian’s President Calls For Reconciliation
ABUJA, Nigeria, March 2 (Compass) — In a nationwide broadcast Wednesday night, March 1, Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo called for reconciliation between Christians and Muslims following two weeks of bloody clashes that have left hundreds dead.
More Churches Destroyed in Northern Nigeria
At least five churches were destroyed during February in northern Nigeria as the controversial implementation of Islamic law continued in several states.
Persecution Forces Nigerians Christians to Flee to Cameroon
Dozens of Nigerian Christian families have fled to Nigeria’s neighbor, Cameroon, because of mounting pressure resulting from the implementation of the Islamic legal system, or “sharia,” by the Borno state government.
Five Christians Released in Brunei
Five of seven Christians arrested in December and January for alleged “cult” activities and detained under Brunei’s Internal Security Act have been released. It was not known if any conditions were attached to their release, which occurred during the week of February 12, but they were reportedly told not to leave the country or talk about their detention, according to a source who did not want to be identified.
Horrifying reports filed by team assessing persecution in Indonesia
MANADO, Indonesia (BP)–A Christian human rights leader from the United States and a five-member delegation he was leading were detained for a day and a half by security forces in Indonesia’s strife-ravaged Malukan island chain before being released Feb. 24.
Prominent Pastor Kidnapped in Columbia
Armed men have captured a prominent Colombian pastor who operates a string of Christian radio stations around Colombia.
Prominent Columbia Pastor Kidnapped
On February 14, unidentified armed men kidnapped Pastor Jorge Enrique Gomez outside of Bogota, Columbia. Pastor Jorge Gomez is well known in Columbia. He is the pastor of the largest evangelical church in the country, with more than 20,000 members with a chain of eight radio stations located in different cities.
Christian Women Targeted in Nigeria’s Sokoto State
Muslim extremists have been deliberately targeting Christian women for rape in northern Nigeria’s Sokoto state since the introduction of the Islamic legal code, or “sharia,” Christian leaders there say.
Four Christians Released By Saudi Authorities
ISTANBUL, February 15 (Compass) — Saudi Arabia released four Filipino Christians in Riyadh yesterday, 40 days after their arrest by the country’s strict Islamic police for conducting Christian worship services in a private home.
Seven Christians in Brunei Detained for ‘Cult’ Activities
Three Christians arrested in December and four Christians arrested in January for alleged “cult” activities are being detained under Brunei’s Internal Security Act, which allows them to be held 60 days before they are officially charged.
Case Dropped Against ‘Nepal Four’
The case against four Christians detained since October 29 on trumped-up proselytism charges was dismissed February 11 in Rajbiraj, Nepal, after prosecution witnesses failed to appear in court. The judge ordered the four — three Nepali nationals and one Norwegian — to be released on February 15.
Egypt Acquits All Muslim Murder Suspects
Instead of convicting the Muslim murder suspects accused of killing 21 Christians in last year’s El-Kosheh massacre, a judge in southern Egypt has accused the local Coptic clergy of responsibility for the three-day rampage.
Sudanese Pastor Appeals to Bush to Intervene in Sudanese Government Attacks Against Churches
MORULAND, SUDAN (February 5, 2001) — A Sudanese pastor has appealed to US President George W. Bush to intervene against Sudanese government bombing of churches, hospitals and schools by declaring Southern Sudan a no-fly zone for military aircraft.