Iran arrests Pastor, then closes his Church
Iranian agents closed Iran’s largest Persian-language Pentecostal church Monday, one week after arresting its pastor during worship services, according to Fox News.
church
Iran Detains Pastor As Church Faces Closure In Wider Crackdown
A pastor of the Central Assemblies of God (AoG) Church in Tehran was detained Tuesday, May 21, as part of Iran’s wider crackdown on evangelical believers, Christian rights activists confirmed. The arrest of Reverend Robert Asserian came as his church prepared for possible closure by the end of June due to pressure from the feared Iranian Intelligence Ministry, said advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Iranian Christian Prisoner Denied Surgery
A Christian prisoner suffering internal bleeding has been denied proper medical attention in Iran, according to Barnabas Aid.
Senior Christian Clerics Kidnapped in Syria
In April, two senior clerics caught in the Syrian civil war were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen and remain in captivity, their whereabouts unknown.
Report: Iran criminalizes Christian faith
A new report by the International Campaign for Human Rights shows that many Christian customs in Iran are criminalized by the authorities, according to Barnabas Aid.
Pastor told to deny Christ, or stay in prison
An American pastor sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison for planting house churches in the Islamic Republic a decade ago recently wrote that prison officials have told him to either deny Christ, or remain incarcerated indefinitely, according to the Christian News Network.
Pakistan: Deja vu after Muslims attack Colony Christians
Within hours after Pakistan’s Supreme Court condemned police for not stopping rampaging Muslims from destroying nearly 200 Christian homes in the Joseph Colony of Lahore, another Muslim mob damaged Christian-owned shops and a church in the Francis Colony of Gujranwala on April 3.
Treasury Sued to Remove ‘God’ from Currency
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is suing the U.S. Treasury Department to remove “In God We Trust” from all its currency.
Initial Report on Riots in Lahore
The Leadership for Environment And Development (LEAD) has just released an initial report concerning a case of alleged blasphemy in Pakistan that resulted in the repeated burning and destruction of Christian homes and property at the St. Joseph Colony in the neighborhood of Bedami Bagh, north of Lahore, Punjab.
Pakistan Muslims Torch 100 Christian Homes; Dozens Injured
A Muslim mob attacked a Christian neighborhood in eastern Pakistan torching up to 100 homes and injuring dozens, after hearing reports that a Christian man committed blasphemy against Islam.
Eritrea Jails 125 Christians In Campaign Against ‘Illegal’ Worship
There was uncertainty Tuesday, March 5, about the situation of 125 Eritrean Christians who were “beaten and detained” in western Eritrea as part of a new government campaign against Christians worshiping outside the state-backed churches, rights investigators said.
Iran Jails Two Christian Converts As Part Of Crackdown
Two Christian converts are already over 50 days in Tehran’s feared Evin prison as part of a crackdown on spreading Christianity in heavily Islamic Iran and it remains unclear when they will be released, Worthy News learned.
Islam Dominates List of Top Persecutors
Eight of the top 10 persecutors of Christians worldwide are Islamic states, according to the Open Doors’ 2013 World Watch List.
Iran sentences American Pastor to eight years
An American pastor already imprisoned in Iran for evangelizing was sentenced Sunday to eight years in prison for attempting to entice Iran’s youth away from Islam through his network of underground house churches.
Syrian rebels rob religious sites
In their battle to topple the Assad regime, rebel jihadists of the Free Syrian Army have also looted religious sites in Northern Syria, according to Human Rights Watch.
Wife Jailed Iranian-US Pastor Denies Bail Claims
The wife of a jailed Iranian-American pastor has denied Iran’s claims that her husband will be released on bail as an attempt to “silence the international media.”
Iran Launching “Systematic Prosecution” Of Protestants, Former Muslims
Iran has launched the “systematic persecution and prosecution” of “Protestants and Christian converts” with a Muslim background, closing churches, detaining believers and threatening some with execution, a new report claims.
Iran Pastor Nadarkhani Freed From Jail; Others Remain Detained
Iran on Monday, January 7, released Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was jailed on Christmas Day to serve the remainder of a sentence for evangelism among Muslims, his evangelical house church movement confirmed.
Syria Christians Attacked Ahead Of Presidential Speech
Beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to deliver a speech on Sunday, January 6, a day after rights activists said a shell hit a Christian area of Damascus and a car bomb exploded elsewhere in the Syrian capital.
13 Crushed To Death At Evangelism Vigil In Angola
Up to 13 people were crushed to death and some 120 injured as they tried to enter an overcrowded stadium for an evangelism gathering of a Pentecostal church in Angola’s capital Luanda, officials confirmed late Tuesday, January 1.