General

Sri Lanka’s Christians protest after January attacks

January 28, 2014 Sri Lanka Anti-conversion law, Buddhist nationalism, Colombo, Protestants

More than 2,000 Christians gathered in Colombo on Sunday (January 26) to protest against a perceived lack of religious freedom in Sri Lanka, following recent attacks on Christian places of worship by Buddhist extremists. Two churches and a Christian prayer centre were attacked on Jan. 12 by Buddhist mobs claiming . . . Read More

Malaysia’s ‘Allah’ impasse

January 24, 2014 Malaysia 'Allah', Bibles, Borneo, JAIS, Kuching, Lawrence Andrew, Najib Razak, Petaling Jaya, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, The Herald, UMNO

Should Malaysia’s Muslims alone be afforded the right to use the word ‘Allah’?Abu Emran / Flickr / Creative Commons “God, what is your religion?” This cryptic question, spotted on a T-shirt at a packed public meeting on religious freedom in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya last week, sums . . . Read More

‘Martyred’ Iranian pastor remembered 20 years on

January 23, 2014 Iran Assemblies of God, Haik Hovsepian, Mehdi Dibaj, Tehran

Memorial services are being held in Tehran, London and California to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Haik Hovsepian, an Iranian pastor hailed by many Christians as a martyr. Hovsepian vanished on January 19, 1994, three days after his protests helped to secure the release of fellow Iranian . . . Read More

Tunisian constitution finds no place for Sharia

January 20, 2014 Tunisia Apostasy, Arab Spring, Constitution, Ennahda, Islamic extremism, Sharia, Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

Al-Zaytuna Mosque, Tunis.Christopher Rose / Flickr / Creative Commons Three years after the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ started in Tunisia, the country’s National Constituent Assembly is close to passing a new constitution which rejects Islam as the “main source of law”, but states it is the State’s duty to “protect the . . . Read More

Central African Republic conflict ‘political not religious’

January 17, 2014 Central African Republic Anti-balaka, Michel Djotodia, Seleka

Nicolas Guerékoyamé-Gbangou says fighting between members of the disbanded Séléka rebel group and the anti-balaka self-defense militias is not a battle between Muslims and Christians.hdptcar / Flickr / Creative Commons The man chosen to lead what he says is 51% of the population of the Central African Republic (CAR), its . . . Read More

Bomb scare reignites Christian fear in northern Mali

January 16, 2014 Mali Gao, Islamic extremism, Sharia, Tuareg

Christians in a city in northern Mali, already forced to hold services in a school classroom because their church was looted and not ready to host meetings, had a bomb scare on Sunday (Jan. 12). Military personnel patrolling the area in Gao on Sunday morning discovered explosives near the school. . . . Read More

Old wine, new skin?

January 16, 2014 Egypt Constitution, Hosni Mubarak, Muslim Brotherhood

Vote counting in an Alexandria polling station.Imogen Anderson via Twitter (@Imo_Anderson) Analysis by Markus Tozman For the second time in 13 months, Egyptians have approved a new constitution. Compared to the constitution they just tossed aside, the new charter promises Christians a stronger standing and better representation than ever . . . Read More

Anti-religion hostility rose worldwide in 2012, study says

January 15, 2014 Global News -- No Particular Country

The world became generally more hostile to religious believers of all faiths, Christianity included, in 2012, according to a major annual report issued Jan. 14. Christians were harassed in more countries than followers of other faiths, though pressure on Muslims and Jews was widespread globally, according to the study, conducted . . . Read More

Algerian churches, NGOs wary as ‘restrictive’ law comes into force

January 10, 2014 Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algiers

A number of churches, as well as foreign NGOs, in Algeria have called for the abolishment of a new law, which they say will hamper their work. Under the law, which will come into effect on Sunday (January 12), NGOs may be dissolved or suspended if their business is deemed . . . Read More

Pressure on Christians grew in 2013

January 8, 2014 Global News -- No Particular Country Afghanistan, African Union, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, BJP, Buddhist nationalism, Central African Republic, Colombia, Eritrea, FARC, Hindu nationalism, India, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Kyrgyzstan, Middle East, Nigeria, North Africa, North Korea, Pakistan, Peshawar, Religious freedom, Sadad, Sharia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, UN, Yemen

More than ever, some of the hardest places for Christians to live are fragile or failed states where militant Islamist movements flourish, according to an annual report on Christian religious freedom. Pressure on Christians intensified worldwide in 2013, according to Open Doors International, a charity that provides support to Christians . . . Read More

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