Media

Massive Crackdown Against Vietnam’s Highland Christians

HO CHI MINH, Vietnam (Compass) — There has been a long history of persecution of minority Christians in Vietnam’s Western Highlands, where churches have largely had to operate underground since the communist takeover in 1975.

Brunei Christians Suffer For Government ‘Cult’ Fears

Details emerging from recent detentions and interrogations of Christians in Brunei point to a growing government concern that the growth of “cults” in this predominately-Muslim nation could lead to political and religious instability.

The Picture that Moved Hearts

On April 6th, a picture of a Palestinian boy was widely circulated by the Palestinian Authority “showing” this boy being taken from a riot scene by Israeli soldiers. It was quite a visual picture that played into the image the Palestinians are trying to create: defenseless Palestinians harassed by hardened Israeli soldiers.

Martyrdom of Liu Haitao Confirmed in China

On October 16, 2000, twenty-one-year-old Liu Haitao from Henan province in central China died as the result of severe police beatings. Although the immediate cause of his death was a kidney ailment that flared up after police mistreatment and a harsh imprisonment, there is no question his death was the result of his witness for Christ, which makes him a martyr for the faith. Local Christians in the area plan to observe October 16 as a memorial day to the life of the young Christian.

Minority Christians “Punished” In Vietnam

Evangelical Christians blamed for the unrest in Vietnam’s Central Highlands in early February have been abducted, tortured and prevented from worshipping together by security police, according to reports from the region.

Police Arrest Two Christians in Azerbaijan

Two Christians were sent to jail yesterday for seven days on charges of “disobeying the police” in the town of Ismailly, 120 miles west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

Baptist prisoner’s family pressured to convert to Islam in Turkmenistan

The wife and children of Baptist prisoner Shageldy Atakov in Turkmenistan have been told by the local mullah, administration officials and officers of the country’s political police, the KNB (former KGB), that they may not believe in Jesus Christ and must convert to Islam. According to a statement from local Baptists — passed on to Keston News Service by the German-based Friedensstimme mission — officials in the town of Kaakhka, close to Turkmenistan’s southern border with Iran, also warned Atakov’s wife, Artygyul, that the family home would be confiscated if Christians continue to meet there.

Christian Aid Responds to Horror in the Moluccas

Responding to urgent pleas for help, Christian Aid has joined a campaign to raise $1.2 million to rescue Christians feared targeted for conversion or extermination by Muslim jihad warriors in Indonesia.

Persecution of Christians Growing in the United States

More Christians died for their faith in the twentieth century than at any other time in history, says Christian Solidarity International. Global reports indicate that over 150,000 Christians were martyred last year, chiefly outside of the United States. However, statistics are changing: persecution of Christians is on the increase in the United States. What’s happening to bring about this change?

Pakistani Court Aquits Three Christians of Blasphemy

A Pakistani high court acquitted three Christians of blasphemy, calling for an investigation as to whether their Muslim accuser had fabricated a false case against them two years ago.

Another Church Bomb Attempt Confirmed in Tajikistan

A third New Year’s Eve attack against a Christian church in the Central Asian state of Tajikistan has been confirmed this past week by Korean Christians linked with Grace Sonmin Church in Dushanbe.

Jailed Pakistani Christian Evangelists Freed on Bail

After eight days in jail, two Pakistani evangelists arrested in Jacobabad for distributing Christian literature and tapes of the documentary “Jesus” film were released on bail January 19.

Forced Conversions To Islam Continue in Indonesia

A growing body of evidence confirms reports that Christians in Indonesia’s Maluku Islands have been forced to convert to Islam under threat of death, although Muslim clerics deny the claims.

Christian Workers Beaten For Showing ‘Jesus’ Film in India

Members of the radical Hindu group the Bajrang Dal beat two Christian workers, David Massey and Simon Sakria, for more than two hours on January 4 for showing a “Jesus” film in Jehra, a remote village on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border in western India. Church leaders said the two Christians had gone to visit the house of a local pastor when they were attacked.

Ready for Reconciliation in Indonesia?

“It is disappointing that the suffering of the Christians due to the conflict in the Malukus has been insufficiently exposed in various reports on a national and international level,” stated the U.S. Consul General Robert Pollard.

A New Generation of Media Savvy Christians is Making an Impact in Russia

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (November 9, 2000) — The “Moscow School of Broadcasting” is housed in an unassuming building about an hour south of Moscow. From the outside, it could be anything — an office building, a college dorm, or even an apartment complex. But inside, it’s a combination lecture hall and television studio, and the class is filled with 25 young Christians being trained to produce Christian programming for Russian television.

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