General

Forced out by ISIS, Iraq’s Christians start over

June 10, 2015 Iraq Greek Orthodox, Islamic State, Jordan, Kurds, Refugees

World Watch Monitor One year ago, Mosul fell to militants belonging to a Sunni Muslim movement calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Thousands of Christians and other religious minorities, threatened with execution, fled. These are the stories of two who have found refuge, one in . . . Read More

S. Sudan pastors face death penalty on charges of sedition and spying

June 4, 2015 Sudan Darfur, East Africa, Mariam Ibrahim, NISS, Peter Yen, South Kordofan, South Sudan, Sudan, Yat Michael

After several false starts, the trial of two South Sudanese pastors, Yat Michael, 49, and Peter Yen, 37, who stand accused of crimes against the state of Sudan and could face the death penalty, has been rescheduled again to 15 June. The court is then due to hear testimony from . . . Read More

EU ‘must do more’ to stop religious freedom abuses

June 4, 2015 Global News -- No Particular Country Brunei, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Maldives, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Religious freedom, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen

Left to right: MEP Dennis de Jong, USCIRF’s Katrina Lantos Swett, EEAS’s Silvio Gonzato, and MEP Peter van Dalen at the report’s launch in Brussels on 3 June.Courtesy European Parliament Intergroup The new European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, said in October 2014 that upholding the . . . Read More

Iran pastor Fathi’s appeal fails, against extra year in prison and 74 lashes

June 2, 2015 Iran Ayatollah Khamenei, Christmas, Church of Iran, Converts, Ebrahim Firouzi, Evin Prison, Farshid Fathi, Hassan Rouhani, Minorities, Prisons, Tehran

An Iranian pastor serving a six-year prison term has failed in his appeal against a further sentence of 74 lashes and an additional year in jail – for the alleged possession in his cell of two litres of alcohol. This latest news about Farshid Fathi was first reported by Iran-focused . . . Read More

Pakistan ‘mob justice’ against mentally ill man prevented, but riots ensue

June 2, 2015 Pakistan Blasphemy, Lahore, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League, Youhanabad

It was a familiar scene: hundreds of angry people in the dense urban streets of a big Pakistan city, whipped up by rumors that someone had defiled a Holy Quran. Pounding on doors. Throwing rocks. Demanding blood. This time, however, something unusual appeared in the Sandha sector of Lahore, Pakistan’s . . . Read More

Buhari takes office after election ‘miracle’

May 29, 2015 Nigeria Boko Haram, Elections, Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari

Muhammadu Buhari will be sworn in today (May 29) as the new President of Nigeria, two months after he became the first opposition leader to win an election. On March 28, Buhari, a former general, defeated incumbent Goodluck Jonathan by a 54-46 margin – the first time the opposition had . . . Read More

Christians remain cautious about Modi

May 27, 2015 India BJP, Elections, Narendra Modi

To mark the first anniversary of his government, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26 declared the world is “optimistic about India and is enthusiastic about exploring the opportunities India has to offer.” To which one leader of India’s churches replied: “We have nothing to celebrate. Rather, we have . . . Read More

Collateral damage? 63 churches hit in Syrian civil war

May 19, 2015 Al-Nusra Front, Bashar al-Assad, Islamic State, Syria

The Syrian Network for Human Rights says 63 churches have been damaged or destroyed so far in four years of civil war.AINA Sixty-three churches have been damaged or destroyed so far during four years of civil war in Syria, says the Syrian Network for Human Rights. In a comprehensive . . . Read More

In Myanmar, Christian rebels are in double trouble

May 19, 2015 Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Myanmar, Panglong

In March the Myanmar government and 16 rebel groups signed a draft ceasefire agreement, ahead of national elections scheduled for November this year. The pact, however, doesn’t contain self-determination provisions that these ethnic groups have demanded. Myanmar is made up of eight major and eight minor ethnic groups, each of . . . Read More

UPDATE: Trial of S. Sudan pastors begins, then is delayed

May 18, 2015 Sudan East Africa, Khartoum, NISS, Omdurman, South Sudan, Sudan, Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church

UPDATE (19 May) After the 19 May start of the trial of Yat Michael and Peter Yein, the judge ordered a 12-day recess. Nahmia Shaloka, a Sudanese lawyer who left the country because of his human rights activity and now lives in the United States, said a judge of Khartoum . . . Read More

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