Somali Christian Couple Facing Death For Faith; Prayers Urged
Christians have urged prayers for a couple who could face the death penalty in Somalia on Tuesday for abandoning Islam and “spreading Christianity” after in the Sunni Muslim nation.
Islam
‘Dozens Killed, Hundreds Injured In Israel-Palestinian Clashes’
Palestinian officials in the Gaza Strip claimed Monday that some 20 people were killed in fighting with Israel in one of the bloodiest clashes in years.
Iran Releases Mistreated Christian Men
Four devoted Christian men mistreated while in detention in Iran have been temporarily released due to the coronavirus pandemic, activists confirmed Thursday.
Pakistan “Blasphemy” Youngster Freed; Other Christian Remains Jailed
A young Christian man who was falsely accused of blasphemy was released on bail after four years of solitary confinement in a Pakistan jail. Still, another Christian faced prosecution for blasphemy, activists told Worthy News.
Muslim Herdsmen Kill Dozens Of Christians In Nigeria
Muslim Fulani herdsmen have reportedly killed dozens of Christians in central Nigeria in recent weeks amid ongoing anti-Christian violence in the volatile African nation.
US Navy seizes weapons in Arabian Sea likely bound for Yemen
he U.S. Navy announced Sunday it seized an arms shipment of thousands of assault weapons, machines guns and sniper rifles hidden aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea, apparently bound for Yemen to support the country’s Houthi rebels.
Pakistan persecution: Another Christian nurse accused of blasphemy
In the third such incident this year, a Christian nurse has been hounded and threatened into hiding by Muslim colleagues who accused her of blaspheming against Islam last week, Morning Star News reports. Pakistan ranks 5th on the US Open Doors Watch List of countries where Christians are persecuted.
Nigeria: American Pastor and Nigerian lawyer commended for rebuilding church destroyed in 2016 massacre by Fulani militants
The governor of Nigeria’s Benue State has commended American missionary Pastor William Delvin and Nigerian human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe for rebuilding a church that was destroyed during the 2016 massacre of civilians in the Agatu municipality by Fulani militant herdsmen. After visiting the devastated Agatu community in 2020, Delvin and Ogebe raised necessary funds and organized the rebuilding of the area’s Methodist church in time for its opening on Easter Sunday this year.
Iran Teases Attack on US Capitol Building as Biden Admin Prepares To Lift Sanctions
Iran released a provocative new video over the weekend that depicts its military forces blowing up the United States Capitol building, a threat that comes as the Biden administration inches closer to providing Tehran with billions of dollars in economic sanctions relief.
Nigeria: Islamist Fulani militants murder 33 Christians in one week; “please pray”
Thirty-three Christians were killed in just one week of attacks by suspected Islamist Fulani militants in Nigeria’s Benue state last month, International Christian Concern reports. The murders were among the latest in years of deadly attacks on Nigerian Christian communities by Fulani militants who want to eliminate Christianity and impose Islam in the country.
Tunisia Grants Asylum To Algerian Christian, But Persecution Remains
A Christian man who escaped from Algeria after being jailed and persecuted for “blasphemy” against Islam has received temporary asylum in neighboring Tunisia, Worthy News learned.
Christian man tortured by police in Pakistan, held in custody
A Christian man in Pakistan was tortured by police into confessing to a false allegation of blasphemy, and then illegally held in custody for two months before being presented to a judge, Morning Star News reports. Salamat Mansha Masih was arrested, tortured, and detained in Lahore after Muslims heard him reading the Bible in a park on February 13.
Iran sought nuclear weapons, technology for WMDs last year, reports find
The Islamic Republic of Iran made multiple attempts in 2020 to obtain technology for its weapons of mass destruction program and has not stopped its drive to develop atomic weapons, intelligence agencies from the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany recently reported.
US denies Iran claims of prisoner deal; UK plays it down
The United States and Iran are in active talks over the release of prisoners, a person familiar with the discussions said Sunday as Washington denied a report by Iranian state-run television that deals had been struck.
Deadlock in US-Afghanistan peace plans, despite troops withdrawal announcement
Plans for a route to peace between the United States and the Afghan Islamist Taliban have become deadlocked amid canceled talks in Turkey, and despite President Joe Biden’s announcement earlier this month that US and NATO troops will unconditionally withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, NPR reports.
Iran: One Christian released from prison, four more detained
While Christian convert Majidreza Souzanchi was released from Iran’s Greater Tehran Penitentiary on April 8, four other Christians were arrested and detained by Iranian intelligence officials on April 19, International Christian Persecution reports. Iran currently ranks 8 on the Open Doors Watch List of countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith.
Muslim Herdsmen Kill Dozens of Nigeria Christians
Dozens of Christians have been killed by hardline Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria’s troubled north-central Benue state, Christian survivors said.
Iran still seeks mass destruction weapons – German intelligence report
The German intelligence agency for the state of Bavaria said last week in its new report that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not ceased its drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction during 2020.
US eyes major rollback of Iran sanctions to revive nuclear deal
The Biden administration is considering a near wholesale rollback of some of the most stringent Trump-era sanctions imposed on Iran in a bid to get the Islamic Republic to return to compliance with a landmark 2015 nuclear accord, according to current and former US officials and others familiar with the matter.
China’s five-year campaign to suppress religious freedom affects believers
A major annual report issued by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) earlier this month, has highlighted China’s five-year campaign to suppress religious faith, including Christianity, in the country, CNS News reports. The Chinese Communist party is pursuing a program of “sinification” or “sinicization” of religion that began in 2018 and is set to run until 2022.