Laos: Believers remain homeless after authorities evict them
Five Lao Christian families are still waiting to be rehoused after local authorities in the communist Asian country demolished their homes, International Christian Concern reports.
Christian Persecution
Pakistan court places 14-year-old Christian girl into custody of abductor
Pakistan’s Lahore High Court (LHC) has sent a 14-year-old Christian girl back into the custody of a Muslim man who abducted her and who claims she willingly converted to Islam and married him, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Eritrea re-arrests 15 previously incarcerated Christians; prayer requested
Eritrean officials have re-arrested 15 Christians who had previously been incarcerated for their faith, some for up to 16 years, the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports.
Nigeria “biggest killing ground of Christians”: 50 more Christians murdered in Kaduna state
Fulani militants murdered 50 people in predominantly Christian villages in Nigeria’s Kaduna state in September alone, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Five more Christians arrested and charged in Uttar Pradesh
Persecution against Christians in India has intensified since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014 and, on September 10, another five believers were arrested and falsely charged in Uttar Pradesh state, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Myanmar persecution: Pastor abducted by Burmese Army, not heard from since
Ethnic Chin Baptist pastor Rev. Thian Lian Sang was abducted in Mandalay, Myanmar by the Burmese army (Tatmadaw) on September 16, and has not been heard of since, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Eritrea Detains 15 Christians Curtailing Hopes Of More Tolerance
Eritrean authorities have detained 15 Christians during a series of raids on their houses in the capital city of Asmara, well-informed sources said Thursday.
Nigeria: Gunmen storm church, kill one, abduct three
Over 3,000 Christians in Nigeria were killed in the first 200 days of 2021, and yet another was killed on Sunday as five gunmen attacked a church service in Kogi State and abducted three people, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Hindu extremists threaten to burn pastor and his family alive unless they renounce Christ
A pastor and his family were forced to leave their home in India’s Bihar state this summer, after radical Hindu nationalists threatened to burn them alive if they did not renounce their faith in Christ, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Persecution against Christians in India has greatly intensified since the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party took power in 2014.
Indonesia: Christian tortured and beaten by Muslims in jail
A Christian man who was imprisoned in Indonesia for alleged blasphemy, has been beaten and tortured by a former police officer and other prisoners at his jail, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
China: Authorities harass believers celebrating Church’s 5-year anniversary
Police from China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) descended on the fifth-anniversary celebration of the Shenzhen Trinity Harvest Gospel Church in Huizhou earlier this month, harassing congregants and trying to prevent them from attending the event, China Aid reports.
Iran Releases Two Jailed Christians, But Concerns Remain
Iranian Christians are “thankful” that Iran has released two jailed Christians on bail but remain concerned about the whereabouts of their friend, Worthy News established Wednesday.
Baptist youth minister shot dead by military junta, UN official says world must act, Myanmar is “living hell”
A Baptist youth pastor was shot dead by soldiers while trying to save a congregant from a home set on fire by the military junta in Myanmar on Saturday, the Christian Post reports. Highlighting the killing, UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar Tom Andrews said the international community must take action with regard to the “living hell” Myanmar civilians have been in since the February 1 military coup.
Al-Shabab suicide bomber kills 11 in Somalia; Christians in danger
A suicide bomber from Al-Shabaab, a terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, killed at least 11 people in the Somalian capital city of Mogadishu on September 14, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Posing a major threat to Christians in Somalia, Al-Shabaab is a jihadist terror group whose goal is to overthrow the internationally-supported government and impose its violent brand of extremist Islam on the whole of Somalia.
Pakistan persecution: Evangelist jailed for preaching the Gospel on WhatsApp
An evangelist in Pakistan has been jailed, and her family forced into hiding, after members of the Islam-based religious group Ahmadiyya joined with Muslim extremists to bring blasphemy charges against her for sharing the Gospel in an interfaith WhatsApp group, Morning Star News reports.
‘Hotel Rwanda’ Celebrity Charged With Murders
Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed in a film as a life-saving hero during the Rwandan genocide, has been convicted of terrorism by a court in Rwanda.
Taliban carrying out mass executions, Christian missionary says
A Christian missionary and former US Army Special Forces and Ranger officer has reported that the Taliban in Afghanistan appear to have carried out mass executions since the US withdrawal last month, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Contact with Christians in Afghanistan is being lost
Reports are emerging that underground ministries are losing contact with Christians in Afghanistan who are now living under the violent rule of the Islamic extremist Taliban, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The Taliban are violently opposed to anyone who converts from Islam to Christianity and, as most believers in Afghanistan are former Muslims, they face death, torture, and abduction if found.
UK prosecution service drops charges against street preacher
The UK’s prosecution service has dropped charges brought against a street preacher who refused to stop his outdoor ministry during England’s first COVID-19 lockdown last year, Christian Concern (CC) reports. Christian street lay minister Mike Overd was due to appear in court this month after police issued him with a fine for preaching and offering prayer and Bibles in Somerset, southern England on April 2, 2020.
China persecution: Christian Principal not heard of since authorities raided his music school
In continued governmental, systemic harassment of Christians in China, on September 4 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials raided a Christian music school in Heilongjiang province and took away the school principal, who has not been heard of since, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The CCP considers Christians a threat to its authority and seeks to suppress them through persecution and a nationwide Sinicization program.