Eritrea Punishes Christians for their Faith
Eritrean authorities are punishing 39 Christian high school students by subjecting them to beatings and hard labor, according to Open Doors.
Muslim
Eight converts sentenced in Iran for ‘National Security’ violations
Eight Iranian Christians received long sentences Tuesday after being convicted of “action against the national security,” a bogus charge often used against Muslim converts to Christianity, according to Morning Star News.
Iran Releases Pastor Of Largest Pentecostal Church; Congregation Remains Closed
The pastor of Iran’s largest Persian speaking Pentecostal church has been “conditionally released” from prison but his congregation in the capital Tehran remains closed, Iranian Christians told Worthy News.
Iraq Christians Fear More Violence After Church Attacks, Killings
Minority Christians in Iraq feared more violence Saturday, June 29, after several Assyrian Christian shops and one church were attacked, killing two people and injuring a dozen others, church representatives said.
Four Iranian Converts Convicted of Christianity
While the world’s attention was focused on Iran’s presidential election, four converts to Christianity were found guilty by an Iranian court of no longer being Muslims.
Eritrea: “a Giant Prison”
Human Rights Watch described it as “a giant prison” and Reporters without Borders called it “the most repressive nation on earth”.
Kazakhstan: Tea and Prayers lead to Pastor’s arrest
A pastor in Kazakhstan was arrested last month for allegedly serving hallucinogens to his congregation while wielding a powerful psychological influence over them.
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.
“One Wall for One People”
Last year Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tasked Natan Sharansky to redesign the area of the Temple Mount so as to accommodate both traditional and liberal Jews wishing to pray at the Wailing Wall, considered by Judaism to be the last remnant of the Second Temple on Mount Moriah.
Will Obama finally act against violators of religious freedoms?
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has called upon President Obama for a clear and direct response concerning countries that have egregiously violated religious freedoms, according to BarnabasAid.
Nazi Flag Flies Over Mosque
The twisted cross of National Socialism flew for all to see over a mosque Monday in the West Bank, according to the Israel National News Service.
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).
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.
Pakistan: Minorities have no voting rights
The Executive Council of Pakistan’s Christian Congress issued a press release Saturday condemning the upcoming national election because 51 percent of Pakistani women and 18 percent of Pakistan’s population will not be voting for any candidates.
Islamic nations among world’s worst violators of religious freedoms
Of the 15 worst violators of religious freedom in the world, 10 are Islamic states.
Bail petitioned for Christian accused of blasphemy
The Legal Evangelical Association (for) Development (LEAD) filed a bail petition Monday in the Session Court of Lahore on behalf of Sawan Masih, an imprisoned Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy.
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.
Christian prisoners pay big bail in Islamic Iran
Five Christian converts from Islam who were arrested in Iran last year for evangelistic activities had to post large bail amounts to be released from prison.
Pakistan promises to rebuild Christian homes, but …
Although the government of Pakistan promised to rebuild nearly 200 Christian homes destroyed by a Muslim mob in Lahore on March 9, many doubt it will bring the rioters to justice because anti-Christian violence perpetrated in Pakistan often operates with impunity.
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.