Kenya Detains 10 After Church Attacks
Kenyan authorities have detained 10 people after five churches were set on fire in Kenya’s southwestern region, rights activists confirmed Thursday.
Christian Persecution
Malaysia: Abducted Pastor now missing for four years: “Please pray for justice”
A pastor who was abducted by Malaysia state police on February 13, 2017, has not been seen or heard of since, Open Doors UK reports. The fourth anniversary of the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh has just passed and his family still has no answers as to why he was kidnapped or what has happened to him.
Indian state begins arresting Christians and Muslims under new anti-conversion law
The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh registered 23 cases against Christians and Muslims in the first 23 days of the country’s newest and most severe anti-conversion law, International Christian Concern reports. The government of Madhya Pradesh is dominated by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, the current ruling party in India.
Islamic terrorists murder 16 more people in DR Congo: “Please pray for those traumatized by the violence”
An Islamist terrorist organization operating in DR Congo is believed responsible for murdering 16 people and burning down a Catholic church in the northeastern Congolese province of Ituri, International Christian Concern reports.
Egypt’s laws are increasingly repressive for Christians
Egyptian laws brought in since the 2011 revolution have resulted in significant restrictions on religious and other freedoms for Christians in the country, International Christian Concern reported Saturday.
Pakistan: Christian evangelists charged with blasphemy may face death penalty
Two Christian evangelists in Pakistan have been charged with blasphemy – and could face a mandatory death penalty if convicted, International Christian Concern reports. Haroon Ayub Masih and Salamat Mansha Masih were arrested on February 13 for allegedly insulting Islam while preaching the Gospel in Model Town Park in Lahore.
Europe’s Top Court Asked To Condemn Turkey’s Deportation Of Pastor
Europe’s top rights court has been asked to support a Canadian-American pastor who was reportedly deported from Turkey after 19 years for evangelism.
Fulani terrorists slaughter villagers in Nigeria: “Pray for the Nigerian government”
Continuing their reign of terror in Nigeria, Fulani militants murdered six villagers and severely injured many more in an attack in Ogun State Thursday, International Christian Concern reports. As the gratuitous killing of civilians by Fulani terrorists has continued unabated for years, Nigeria’s President Muhammad Buhari, who is also Fulani, has been heavily criticized for failing to keep Nigerians safe from the militants.
India: Seven Christian families displaced for refusing to recant faith
Seven Christian families in India’s Odisha state have now been driven from their village after they built a small house in which to gather for worship last October, International Christian Concern reports.
Indonesia Christians flogged under Sharia law
Two Christian men were flogged by a Sharia law officer Monday for the criminalized offenses of drinking alcohol and gambling in Indonesia’s province of Aceh, the Christian Post reports. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia with the “legal right to apply Islamic law in full.”
Somaliland Detains Christians Over Evangelism
A court in Somaliland on Wednesday extended the detention of four Christians for evangelism in the self-declared republic, which is mainly Muslim, trial observers told Worthy News.
France: Proposed law against Islamic extremism may backfire on Christians
Evangelicals in France are concerned a proposed law designed to end Muslim separatism and curtail Islamic extremism could end up infringing on Christians’ right to freedom of worship as well, Christianity Today reports.
Number of Protestants in historically Catholic Mexico now exceeds 10% of population
A new census shows that the number of Protestants in Mexico now exceeds 10 percent of the predominantly Catholic population, Christianity Today reports. Mexico has historically been dominated by the Catholic Church and ranks as one of the most strongly Catholic countries in Latin America.
Eritrea: Government frees 70 Christians imprisoned for years without trial
The government of Eritrea has released 70 Christians who had been in prison for between two to twelve years without trial, International Christian Concern reports. However, rights advocates do not believe this action by the military dictatorship signals a change in its abusive stance toward Evangelical Christians.
Hindu nationalists attack Christian church in south India
Hindu nationalists carried out another attack on Christians in southern India on January 31, International Christian Concern reports. Six of the twenty-eight Christians who were injured in the attack in the Ramnagara District of Karnataka required hospital treatment.
Denmark may require government approval of sermons
Denmark may introduce a new law requiring all sermons given in a different language to be translated into Danish and submitted to the government for approval, Christian Headlines reports. Although the proposed legislation is intended to deal with radical Islamist groups in the country, it has caused concern among Christians across the country.
Nigerian government executes six Christian soldiers: “Nigeria is becoming like Rwanda”
The Nigerian government executed six Christian soldiers on trumped-up charges in Abuja last month, a civil rights lawyer has told the Christian Post. According to Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chair of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, the soldiers were framed for a crime committed by one of their superiors.
DR Congo: Islamic militants murder dozens of Christians; “please pray for our brothers and sisters”
Islamic terrorists are believed responsible for the murders of over 100 people in DR Congo last month, and a large number of those murdered were from Christian communities, International Christian Concern reports. Known for deadly violence, the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group is believed to have intensified its targeted attacks on Christians.
Kenya: Arsonists burn five church buildings
Unidentified arsonists in western Kenya burned five church buildings and threw feces at their smoldering ruins last month, Morning Star News reports. All of the crimes were carried out from January 20 to January 24 in Otamba village, in the Nyaraibari Chache area of Kisii County.
Nigeria: Fulani Muslim herdsmen continue murderous attacks on Christians
As Islamist violence against Christians in Nigeria continues unabated, Fulani Muslim herdsmen recently killed two clergymen and burned down a Christian conference hall in the country’s Middle Belt, Morning Star News reports. The chairman of the Niger state Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Mathias Echioda, told Morning Star News: “There’s the urgent need for Nigeria’s government to put an end to these barbaric acts.”