General

Jailed Iranian pastor, once facing death, walks free

September 10, 2012 Iran Apostasy, Gilan, Rasht, Youcef Nadarkhani

An Iranian pastor who faced a death sentence because of accusations he abandoned Islam for Christianity walked out jail a free man Saturday, according to a Christian human-rights organisation. After 2 years, 11 months behind bars, Yousef Nadarkhani emerged from jail to rejoin his wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, and their two sons, reported . . . Read More

Nigerian church tries to move on after massacre

September 9, 2012 Nigeria Boko Haram, Kaduna, Kogi, Nigeria

The church is still empty. Clothes and Bibles remain scattered throughout the sanctuary. Dried bloodstains the floor. One month after gunmen opened fire inside Deeper Life Bible Church in Eika-Adagu, a suburb 12 kilometers from the town of Okene in central Nigeria’s Kogi state, members of the church have yet . . . Read More

Rimsha leaves Pakistan jail, reunited with family, government says

September 7, 2012 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Children, Islamabad, Mumtaz Qadri, Paul Bhatti, Prophet Muhammad, Punjab, Quran, Rimsha Masih, Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti, Women

Under heavy security, Rimsha Masih, the teenage Christian Pakistani girl accused of blasphemy, was whisked out of jail Saturdy to a waiting helicopter that government officials said took her to rejoin her family.The Pakistani news agency Dawn reported Rimsha, left Adiala Jail wering a green shirt and pants, and entered an armored . . . Read More

Case against Rimsha’s dramatic turn prompts Pakistan religious leaders to debate blasphemy law

September 4, 2012 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan Ulema Council, Paul Bhatti, Quran, Rimsha Masih

An unexpected twist in the Rimsha Masih blasphemy case appears to have paved the way for her freedom from apparently false charges of desecrating the Quran. The imam who supported her accuser was himself arrested and appeared in court on the same charge as the girl, that of desecrating the . . . Read More

Christians bury a brother, then exhume his body after Hindus protest

August 31, 2012 India Burial, Chhattisgarh, Hindu nationalism, India

Hindus angry at the burial of a former Christian pastor in a new cemetery Thursday forced church members to exhume his body, church leaders said. The body was buried again Thursday in an older, Christian cemetery that already is full and prone to flooding during India’s monsoons, now in full . . . Read More

Talk of violence against Rimsha worries her lawyer

August 31, 2012 Pakistan Blasphemy, Children, Islamabad, Lahore, Minorities, Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistan, Rimsha Masih, Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti

Confident on Wednesday of Rimsha Masih’s release, her lawyer was apprehensive Thursday after a prosecutor hinted strongly at the likelihood of violence if she is freed. “This girl is guilty,” said Rao Abdur Raheem, a lawyer for the man who has accused the girl of blasphemy against Islam. “If the . . . Read More

Teen accused of blasphemy will leave jail, but can’t go home, lawyer says

August 30, 2012 Pakistan Blasphemy, Children, Islamabad, Pakistan, Punjab, Quran, Rimsha Masih, Women

Rimsha Masih is likely to be cleared of the blasphemy charge against her, but never will be able to return home, her lawyer says. Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, who has taken up the defense of the young Christian girl whose case has renewed international debate about Pakistan’s notorious anti-blasphemy laws, said . . . Read More

Young Pakistani girl arrested for ‘blasphemy’

August 21, 2012 Pakistan Blasphemy, Children, Islamabad, Pakistan, Religious freedom, Rimsha Masih

Can a girl reported to be as young as 11 commit blasphemy? And in Pakistan, where blasphemy is punishable by death, should the law even apply? Last week’s arrest of Rimsha Masih, a girl reported to have Down’s Syndrome, is re-igniting Pakistan’s national debate about religious freedom. News of the . . . Read More

Gunmen attack Nigerian worship service, kill 19

August 7, 2012 Nigeria Boko Haram, Kogi, Nigeria, Plateau

Anti-Christian violence erupted yet again in Nigeria on the night of Monday, July 6. A gang of gunmen, carrying sophisticated arms, surrounded and invaded Deeper Life Church in the town of Okene, in Kogi state, in the southern region of the country. World Watch Monitor has published a Storify report . . . Read More

Christians tormented with music, then attacked

August 1, 2012 India Hindu nationalism, India, Karnataka

For months, a group of Hindu extremists in southern India had been blasting high-volume movie music at the prayer meetings of a local Christian ministry. In early July, the harassment crossed the line to assault when the Hindus burst into the prayer meeting of End Time Ministries, knocked three worshippers . . . Read More

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