Iraq Christians Kidnapped Amid Heightened Security Concerns
Security forces on Wednesday, September 28, still searched for three Iraqi Christians, a week after they were reportedly kidnapped by suspected militants in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk.
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Iran Pastor Refuses To ‘Abandon’ Christ; Execution Perhaps “Thursday”
A young pastor of Iran’s largest house church movement has told an Iranian court he will not “recant” his faith in Christ despite facing execution as early as Thursday, September 29, for abandoning Islam, church sources said.
Iran Court Tells Pastor ‘Recant Faith Or Face Execution’
An Iranian court has asked the pastor of one of Iran’s largest house church movements to abandon his faith in Christ and return to Islam if he wants to avoid execution, a church official told Worthy News Sunday, September 25.
China Frees Prominent House Church Leader; Others Detained
China has unexpectedly released a prominent house church leader from prison amid international concerns about his health, his family and rights activists confirmed Monday, September 19.
Kazakhstan Lawmakers Adopt “Repressive” Religion Law
Lawmakers in Kazakhstan have voted for controversial legislation that Christians and rights activists say will further limit religious freedom in the mainly Muslim Central Asian state.
Somali Christian Covert Kidnapped, Beheaded
The body of a kidnapped Christian convert from Islam was found decapitated near Hudur City on Sept. 2.
India: Karanataka Boys Beaten, Arrested for Converting to Christ
Christians are regularly attacked in Karnataka by Hindu nationalists, while the authorities “turn a blind eye,” according to Sajan K. George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, concerning yet another case of abuse against so called forced conversions.
Chinese Christians Suffer Supporting Shouwang Church
Last Sunday five members of a house church in Fangshan tried to worship with members of the embattled Beijing Shouwang house church in a public square in Beijing.
Iran Orders 5 Christians To Report To Prison, Group Says
Iran on Tuesday, September 6, ordered five Iranian Christians, including a heavily pregnant woman, to report to prison on charges linked to their Christian activities, a mission group working in the region said.
Iran Detains Evangelical Pastor; Whereabouts Unknown
The whereabouts of an evangelical pastor in Iran remained unknown Saturday, August 27, some 10 days after he was detained by Iranian security forces as part of a reported government crackdown on Christian converts, Worthy News established.
India State Halts Church Construction After Hindu Pressure
Authorities backed by Hindu militants have halted the reconstruction of a Baptist church that was destroyed in deadly anti-Christian violence in India’s volatile state of Orissa, local Christians said.
Chinese House Church Leaders Criminally Detained
Fifteen house church leaders from remote regions of China are being detained while local police attempt to extort money from their families for their release.
Another Failed Bombing in the Christian Enclave of Kirkuk
Kirkuk police recently report that they deactivated an explosive device left near the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the Almass district of Kirkuk.
Hindu Radicals Ransack Church and Beat Clergyman in Karnataka
For two consecutive Sundays, church service was disrupted in Karnataka while clergy were roughed-up and arrested on false forced conversion charges.
Orissa Government Officials Cancel Church Construction
Christians who were recently relocated to Nandagiri have been ordered to suspend construction of their small church to satisfy the region’s radical Hindus.
Indonesian Mayor Decides Churches Can’t Be Built on Streets with Islamic Names
Bogor’s mayor has a new reason not to allow the Yasmin church to open: the name of the street on which it is built bears an Islamic name.
Reports: Iran Seizes Thousands of Bibles; Destroys Church
Iranian authorities seized thousands of Bibles in north-west Iran and destroyed a church in the Islamic country’s south-east as part of a wider crackdown on Christianity, Iranian Christians said in messages monitored by Worthy News.
Christians assaulted while watching ‘Jesus’ film near former Bin Laden Safe House
Christians watching a movie depicting the life of Christ were attacked by a mob of Muslims in a park near where Osama bin Laden was killed.
Tajikistan’s children to be banned from worship after Ramadan?
Although the Law on Parental Responsibility for the Education and Upbringing of Children has recently been enacted, Religious Affairs officials haven’t explained how the ban on children’s participation in worship will be enforced.
Indonesian Mayor again refuses to grant Church Permit
A mayor in West Java who disregarded a Supreme Court ruling to reinstate the building permit of a church in Bogor has also dismissed a recommendation by the National Ombudsman Institute to comply with the ruling.