Egypt Allows More Churches Amid Persecution
Egypt’s government has legalized thousands of church buildings, but persecution of Christians is still happening in several parts of the Muslim-majority nation, Christian investigators say.
Christian Persecution
Somaliland: Newly Christian woman sentenced to five years after refusal to renounce Christ
A young newly Christian woman in Somaliland has begun a five-year prison sentence she received for refusing to renounce her faith in Christ and return to Islam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Iraq: Christian families are leaving in droves
The Chaldean Patriarchate has issued a statement attesting that Iraqi Christians are leaving their country in droves due to compelling sociological and political factors, which include discrimination, Agenzia Fides reports. The Christians of Iraq make up one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world; there are an estimated 500,000 Christians still in the country.
Indonesian churches organize disaster relief after Java earthquake
A group of Indonesian Christian churches and organizations rushed to assist their countrymen in the wake of a powerful and deadly earthquake that hit Indonesia’s Java island last week, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
Syria: Christians under threat from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham terror group
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has stated in a new report that Christians in northwestern Syria are now living under threat from the de facto rule of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, Christian Today reports.
Sudan: Pastor jailed after praying for his mother to be healed
A pastor in Sudan has been jailed for alleged “witchcraft” after he led a prayer meeting for his sick mother, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. State-sponsored persecution of Christians has returned to Sudan since last year’s military coup toppled the moderate government, which had succeeded ousted Islamic dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
Pakistan: 200 Christian families homeless after government demolishes homes and church
Pakistan government officials bulldozed the homes and church building of 200 Christian families in Islamabad last month, with no warning or offer of substitute housing, the Christian Post reports.
China: Crackdown and closure of house churches continues
China’s ruling Communist Party is continuing its crackdown and closure of evangelical house churches: earlier this month, the Covenant Home Church in Shanxi province was issued with an official notice that it has been banned and must close, reports Bitter Winter, a news outlet focused on religious liberty and human rights in China.
Nigeria: Parish priest kidnapped by Islamist gunmen in Enugu state
Suspected Fulani Islamic jihadist gunmen forced their way into a Catholic Church in Nigeria’s Enugu state on Saturday and kidnapped the parish priest, Vanguard reports. More than 2,300 Christians in Nigeria were kidnapped by jihadists in the first ten months of this year alone, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.
UK street evangelist charged with public order offense after preaching on homosexuality
A UK Christian street preacher charged with a Public Order offense for telling a same-sex married couple that their union is against the Bible’s teaching has had his case dropped after the couple refused to engage with it, Christian Concern (CC) reports.
India: Newly Christian man beaten unconscious left for dead after refusing to renounce faith
A former Hindu who gave his life to Christ just four months ago was beaten unconscious and left for dead after a mob of Hindus attacked a gathering of believers at a house church in India’s Odisha state earlier this month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Nine Christians hospitalized after Hindu extremist attack on church
A mob of radicalized Hindu nationalists beat up and hospitalized nine Christians during an attack on a church hall in India’s Chhattisgarh state earlier this month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Eritrea: 98 Christians remain in prison for their faith
The Eritrean government is still holding in detention 98 Christians who were arrested on account of their faith in September, Christian Today (CT) reports.
Christian persecution is worsening amid Western denial
A new report by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) attests that persecution against Christians in certain parts of the world is worsening dramatically – and that Western denial of the situation is endangering believers, Christian Today reports. Titled ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?,’ the ACN report documents an increase in Christian persecution in 24 countries between October 2020 and September 2022.
Ukrainian prison ministry is helping Russian POWs
A Ukrainian prison ministry has begun caring for Russian prisoners of war that were captured in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
500 anti-Christian hate crimes documented in Europe last year
Europe saw over 500 documented Anti-Christian Hate Crimes in 2021, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians (OIDAC) says in its annual report available online. In addition to the incidents documented, OIDAC attests there is a “reasonable probability” of even higher numbers of incidents that were not reported on.
Russian army attacked 270 religious sites in Ukraine during first months of invasion
A new report by the Ukrainian-based Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF) shows that the Russian army destroyed or damaged 270 houses of worship, religious, educational institutions, and sacred sites in Ukraine in the first five months of the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February, Church Leaders (CL) reports.
Algeria has closed 16 evangelical churches in crackdown on proselytization
A major new report shows the government of Algeria has closed down 16 Evangelical churches in the past year as part of a crackdown on proselytization and perceived blasphemy against Sunni Islam, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Laos: Pastor murdered on his way to Christian event
A Christian pastor in Laos was tortured before being murdered last month in an attack police was likely on account of his faith, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Nigeria: At least 4,000 Christians killed by Islamic extremists in 2022 alone
At least 4,000 Christians in Nigeria have been murdered by Islamic jihadists this year alone, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law attested this week, the Christian Post reports. Rights groups have estimated 50,000-80,000 Christians in Nigeria have been murdered by Islamic militants in the last two decades, as the Nigerian government and international community stand by and do nothing of substance to stop the slaughter.